THE STORY OF THE STATES 

EDITED BY 

ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS 



THE STORY OF THE STATES 



THE STORY OF KENTUCKY 




EMMA M. CONNELLY 





BOSTON 

D LOTHROP COMPANY 

WASHINGTON OPPOSITE BROMFIELD STREET 



^\-. 



Copyright, 1890, 

BY 

D. LoTHROP Company. 



Presswobk by Berwick & Smith, 
Boston, U.S.A. 






PREFACE. 



The Story of Kentucky is no less exact history because of its 
somewhat romantic air. Where a character hitherto unknown 
in history is introduced, it has always been drawn from real life, 
with only such unimportant changes as name, residence, and the 
occasional borrowing of incident from the lives of others among 
the great crowd of " unknown and unsung." And, in a certain 
sense, are not these as much a part of their times and country 
as those whom ambition and self-assertion, as often as excep- 
tional merit, have served to bring into prominence ? There are 
shadows ; but none unwarranted by the truth as I have seen it, 
and none questioned by the two historical authorities who care- 
fully examined the manuscript and proofs — one a literary mem- 
ber of the State Historical Society at Louisville, the " Filson 
Club." 

I had no thought of writing a Preface : it seems a rather per- 
sonal, egotistic proceeding ; but, since I am requested to write 
one, I might as well speak the thoughts that are in my mind, 
and express my pleasure in the recent renewal of literary inter- 
est in Kentucky, even though that means a good deal of 
criticism, just and unjust. Since the passing away of the pic- 
turesque pioneer with his tales of adventure, Kentucky seems 
to have presented little temptation to the poet, dramatist and 
story-writer. And the flying tourist scans the uninviting fields 
along his way — ( especially certain sections of Eastern Ken- 
tucky ) — in cherished ignorance of the fact that he sees no 
more of the real Kentucky than he sees of great cities under 
similar circumstances. The typical Kentuckian is scarcely less 
averse to the railroad as a feature of his landscape than Ruskin, 
and is far more active in keeping it out. His home is not on 
the highway, but hidden away among clustering forest trees. 



PREFACE. 

Usually it is the shiftless and unthrifty who stand staring at the 
train. 

To the distinguished writer (equally loved in this State as in 
others ), who wonders why this •' stately land " has " not yet 
produced a crop of men to match " ; and who suggests that 
"more than fertile soil is needed to produce great men," I 
would like to say that, in most things, it takes more than a 
passing glance to detect unusual force — especially mental 
force — and more than ordinary stress to discover it., Though 
a contented people make no remarkable record, the men and 
women of Kentucky contribute more than is realized to the 
progress and prosperity of their country. 

Be not deceived. This Commonwealth, standing serene and 
unpretentious amidst the august group of Sister States, wears 
Heaven's smile, even down to the outermost hem of her wood- 
land borders; the dignity of independence, the simple grace of 
strength is in her poise ; she is no mean member of the National 
Household. Not so rich as some, yet carefully clothing and 
housing not only her own poor, but the stricken of other less 
favored lands. Not so learned as some, yet with far-reaching 
glance and active brain, quick to see favorably and to decide 
justly. Less fluent in speech than action ; less ready to dream 
of noble deeds than to do them ; with willing hands, unenvious 
heart, and "ample, flowing, hospitable ways"; "stretching out 
her hands" to rich as well as poor; in her tongue the law of 
kindness — surely " strength and honor are her clothing ; and 
she shall rejoice in time to come." 



i^ 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE PIONEER II 

1774-1775- 

CHAPTER II. 

IN THE BEGINNING 37 

1775- 

CHAPTER III. 

IHE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY 65 

1777-1781. 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE STATE OF KENTUCKY 88 

I 784-1 794. 

CHAPTER V. 

THE LITTLE CLOUD II3 

1794-1803. 

CHAPTER VI. 

BREAKING THE ROD OF BRITISH POWER . . . I38 

1805-1826. 

CHAPTER VII. 

"the FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT " .... 165 

1830-1850. 



CONTENTS. 
CHAPTER VIII. 

" FRATRICIDAL WAR " l88 

1850-1862. 

CHAPTER IX. 

CRUEL WAR 211 

1862-1864. 

CHAPTER X. 

CLOSE OF THE WAR 233 

1864-1865. 

CHAPTER XI. 

WITHOUT SLAVERY 253 

1866-1890. 

CHAPTER XII. 

AFTER MANY YEARS . 277 

1890. 



THE CHRONOLOGICAL STORY ...... 297 

THE people's covenant 325 

BOOKS RELATING TO KENTUCKY ^Zl 

INDEX 335 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Building the stockade Frontispiece 

Old Fort Hoonesborough. Initial ii 

Through the wilderness ........ 15 

" The struggle was .short and fierce " 25 

" A little hungry, ain't ye .'' " ........ 31 

Daniel Boone. Initial ......... 36 

" My gran'sir wus a English Juke "....... 41 

Betsey Calloway's ruse 49 

The torture-post 59 

George Rogers Clarke. Initial ....... 65 

Ambushed 69 

Dolly 75 

" How could we stick on .' " 83 

John Filson. Initial ......... 88 

Office of the Kentucky Gazette 92 

Cabell's cottage 100 

Desolation ........... 109 

John Brown — Kentucky's first delegate. Initial . . . 113 

The Grave of Daniel Boone 117 

Shooting for a wife .......... 123 

Seeking for light .......... 133 

A Kentucky girl of 1800. Initial . . . . ■ . ■ 138 

Ashland, the home of Clay ........ 142 

A watery wooing .......... 151 

Lafayette in 1824 159 

George D. Prentice. Initial ... ..... 165 

The Court House porch 169 

Picturesque Kentucky ......... 175 

"To write poetry became the fashion " ...... 183 

General Robert Anderson. Initial ....... 188 

Brother against brother ......... 192 



ILL US TRA TIONS. 

" The Dark and Bloody Ground " 197 

Reconnoitering 207 

General John C. Breckenridge. Initial 211 

The birthplace of Abraham Lincoln 215 

"Silently and in the night they stole away " 221 

Cruel War 229 

The old Capitol. Initial 233 

After the battle 237 

Henry Clay : The Great Kentuckian 243 

In the Post-office 249 

Wing of the new Capitol. Initial 253 

Among the mountains 256 

In the Cumberland Mountains ........ 263 

Thoroughbred 273 

In the Blue-Grass Country. Initial ....... 277 

Near Frankfort 281 

In the Mammoth Cave 285 

Cornelia: A typical Kentucky girl of 1890 ..... 293 



THE STORY OF KENTUCKY 



CHAPTER I. 



THE PIONEER. 



il' 



x^-^. 










T was in the fall of 
1774. The first omi- 
nous rumble of the 
American revolu- 
tion was just begin- 
ning to be heard; 
people were growing 
restless and migratory, 
and Edmund Cabell, 
the son of a well-to-do 
Virginia gentleman, ran away from home. His 
purpose was to join himself to Lord Dunmore's 
army in its expedition against the Indians gath- 
ered in force at Pittsburo-. Youns^ Cabell was 
only nineteen ; he was the third son, and not the 
favorite ; hence he felt himself justified in taking 
his fortune into his own hands. 

He was bv no means handsome or oraceful ; he 



12 THE PIONEER. 

had neither the easy address of his father nor his 
two elder brothers. He cared Httle for dress, and 
despised the formahties of the society by which he 
was surrounded. His brilHant father considered 
him dull, and rarely ever mentioned his name 
except to make some sarcastic remark on his 
appearance. His dainty mother, a descendant of 
those wandering cavaliers, the refugee courtiers 
of the unfortunate King Charles's court, often 
wondered plaintively why so much blue blood 
made so poor a showing. 

Even his English tutor, seeing him reading at 
random instead of studying his lessons, and spend- 
ina^ his leisure in huntino^ and hobnobbinsf with 
backwoodsmen and adventurers, had no thought of 
the noble ideal of life, the heroic longings, hidden 
beneath that rugged exterior. And his lively 
brothers would have greeted any expression of his 
high-flown aspirations with shouts of derision. 

Yet he was not one to pass through life un- 
noticed, nor to pass anywhere without comment. 
Not that he wished to attract the attention which 
to him meant criticism ; but there was a real 
strength in the irregular physiognomy of this Vir- 
ginia lad that was bound to make itself felt. This 
could be seen by one who carefully studied the 
noticeable face with its large aquiline nose, its 
prominent cheek bones, and the keen, resolute 



THE PIONEER. 13 

gray eyes, in which not unfrequently shone a 
hostile light. 

Edmund considered himself as hardly used by his 
own family as well as by Fate. But his crowning 
misfortune resulted from a sudden and strange 
infatuation conceived for one of Lord Dunmore's 
lovely and accomplished daughters. A keen ob- 
server of human faces, he was not long in discover- 
ing himself an object of secret amusement to the 
smiling Lady Augusta. He saw that even she 
was helping to make him a subject of ridicule to 
the crowd. With a heart burstinor with mortifica- 
tion and rage he turned his back on all the gay 
company gathered about his father's home, rushed 
to his room, and hastily packing a knapsack, that 
night rode after the army. And as he galloped off 
he registered a vow never to come back until he 
had become a great and distinguished man. 

The war was soon over, and Lord Dunmore 
leading his little army toward home, leaving the 
Indians apparently humbled and willing to live 
in peace with their white neighbors. But Cabell 
staid behind; he had not yet distinguished himself; 
his vow was not yet redeemed. He remained 
that winter at Fort Pitt, spending the most of his 
time in hunting. Through the winter he heard 
a good deal about a beautiful country down the 
Ohio, where the tall and stately forests were 



14 THE PIONEER. 

almost free from the undergrowth which so much 
interfered with the hunting around Fort Pitt. 
The spirit of adventure took possession of him. 

A party of surveyors, who had been sent out 
by the Governor of Virginia to survey the lands 
granted to soldiers in the war against the French, 
had brought back wonderful accounts of the new 
country. Daniel Boone and his brother had spent 
many months there hunting, and had now gone 
back with the intention of settlinor Jn this new 
region. Simon Kenton, a young man who had 
taken active part in the Dunmore war, had told 
such wonderful tales of the "cane-land " where the 
turkeys were so plentiful, and of the "salt-licks" 
where the deer and elk came in great droves, that 
everybody was wild to go to "Cane-tuck-ee." 

In their treaty with Lord Dunmore, then Gov- 
ernor of Virginia, the Indians had relinquished all 
claim to this beautiful country. It had been for 
generations their choice hunting-ground ; there 
Northern and Southern tribes had met in conflict, 
and over its fair expanse had been fought so many 
fierce battles that it was called the " dark and 
bloody ground." None dared to settle in that 
murderous region lest the ghosts of the slain braves 
should take vengeance upon them. Since the 
treaty a company of white men, having no fear of 
the ghostly warriors that were said to guard it, 



THE PIONEER. 



15 



had, under the management of Judge Henderson 
of North CaroHna, purchased of the Cherokees, 
for the sum of ten thousand pounds, the greater 
portion of the country called " Cane-tuck-ee," and 
had now gone on to take possession. 

Cabell went with none of these parties ; but, on 







'r 






erne^^. ^ 



the tenth of April, 1775, in company with an old 
hunter for whom he had formed a friendship, he 
set out for the " hunter's paradise." " Old Mon- 
mouth's " early ambition, long quenched in the 
morass of easy things, quickly revived under con- 
tact with Cabell's vivid energy ; and the old 



1 6 THE PIONEER. 

hunter's experience in wood-craft was of great ad- 
vantage to the young man. They carried blankets, 
a buckskin over-jacket for protection against rain, 
a small quantity of bread, and a good supply of 
ammunition. No one cares how " Old Mon- 
mouth " looked ; but Cabell, who was tall and 
muscular, wore a dark-blue hunting-shirt with a 
belt at the waist, buckskin breeches, with leggins 
buttoned closely from the knee down to his stout 
boots, and a dark, narrow-brimmed hat of the 
fashion worn in those days. 

All through the rugged country of Western Vir- 
ginia they kept well together ; but after they had 
crossed the Big Sandy River and advanced farther 
and farther into the beautiful and luxurious country 
beyond it, the spirit of daring grew upon them ; 
they forgot all about the Indians and began to 
relax their usual vigilance. 

One day, starting in pursuit of a wounded deer, 
which led him a long chase before it fell, Cabell 
discovered that he was beyond the hearing of his 
companion. He called aloud ; he fired his gun ; but 
all in vain. There came neither answering shot 
nor shout. After a fruitless searching of several 
anxious hours, hunger drove him back to his 
quarry. He skinned and flayed the deer and car- 
ried away with him meat enough to serve for 
several meals ; then, after several more hours of 



THE PIONEER. I 7 

wandering, he gave over the search as night came 
on, struck a fire, roasted his meat, and ate a 
hearty meal. Wearied with the fatigues of the 
day, he wrapped himself in his blanket, threw 
himself upon the ground and slept soundly until 
morning. 

As soon as he had breakfasted he resumed the 
search for his companion, but with no better 
success. He had lost the trail. The second 
night, as he was about to strike a fire, the tinkle 
of a bell fell on his ears. Hastily gathering up 
his possessions and moving cautiously in the 
direction of the sound, he came upon a horse 
grazing in an open space. 

Cabell's feelings at this sight are more easily 
imagined than described. He knew that when 
Indians were bound upon any desperate expedition 
they left their horses behind — belled, if possible, 
as an assistance in finding them when needed 
again. The savages, he concluded, had doubt- 
less captured his friend the old trapper and were 
now not far away ; for aught he knew they might, 
at this very moment, be lurking in the shadowy 
woods about him. He keenly felt the peril of 
his position. But, though young and inexperi- 
enced, his courage did not desert him. He crept 
into a thicket close by, and drawing together the 
branches behind him, lay down to await develop- 



1 8 THE PIONEER. 

ments. Night fell, and still that little bell tinkled 
on; and still Cabell lay motionless in his am- 
bush. His limbs ached with fatigue; his eyes 
were strained with watching, but he did not relax 
his vigilance ; he knew that the least movement 
might bring down upon him the savage foe. 

How slowly that long night passed away ! How 
vividly rose before him the peace and comfort of 
his home, far away ! For the first time he realized 
how easy had been his lot. Everything had been 
provided for him ; there had been no irksome tasks 
to perform ; there had come nothing to make him 
afraid. 

But the longest night must end at last, and at 
dawn Cabell fell asleep. In his dreams he thought 
he heard the sound of horses' feet. The noise 
awoke him. It was, indeed, that ominous sound: 
a mounted party of Indians were passing close to 
his covert. Cabell sfave one Hance of horror, then 
closed his eyes, lest their excited gleam should 
betray him. He saw that one side of the foremost 
Indian's face was painted red, the other side black ; 
the head was closely shaven, except where on the 
top a few bristling hairs were interwoven with a 
bunch of colored feathers. Cabell saw nothing 
else distinctly ; he could not tell whether " Old 
Monmouth " was with them or not. 

When he looked again the party was gone, except 



THE PIONEER. 1 9 

one of the warriors, however, who lingered to fasten 
the carcass of a deer across the horse which had 
grazed near the watchful pale-face all that night. 
Not succeeding to his satisfaction, the warrior 
threw it down again, and cutting off a piece of the 
venison, set about making a fire to cook it. 

When Cabell saw the Indian roasting his own 
meat so peacefully, with gun and tomahawk both 
resting against a tree, his hunger and weariness 
got the better of his judgment. " Are we not all 
of one family?" he said. His mind was quickly 
made up; creeping out of his thicket he pro- 
ceeded, with many demonstrations of friendliness, 
to join his red brother. 

At first the Indian appeared startled and sus- 
picious ; but as Cabell continued his signs of 
peace, the red-man seemed to acquiesce, and 
motioned his unexpected guest to help himself. 
" It is the white people who are to blame," thought 
Cabell, as he cut off a generous slice of venison, 
taking care, however, to keep one eye on his host. 
" How easily this poor Indian was conciliated." 

While Cabell was broiling his meat the Indian 
busied himself with gathering up sticks to replenish 
the fire. Cabell was naturally a keen observer, and 
while there was no thought of hostility in his 
mind, he was not too intent on his cookins: to 
note his comj^anion's every motion. A sudden 



20 THE PIONEER. 

movement startled him; looking up he had just 
time to dodge the Indian's tomahawk which came 
whirlins: toward him, and to brace himself for a 
desperate conflict. The struggle was short and 
fierce ; but unexpected strength came to the Vir- 
ginia lad in his need, and when the combatants 
fell to the earth, the savage was beneath. In 
another instant the white man had seized his 
knife and buried it in his antagonist's breast. 

With a cry of anguish the Indian relinquished 
his hold and looked up beseechingly into Cabell's 
face. But it was too late. The young man 
turned away with a sickening feeling of remorse. 
" God have mercy on this poor heathen's soul," 
was the earnest cry of his heart. " I would have 
been a brother to him, but he would not." 

He took the Indian's tomahawk and dug a 
grave and buried him. He covered the grave 
with leaves and brush, and then, gathering up his 
own belongings, left the place. He pitied more 
than he blamed his dead foeman. Doubtless, he 
thought, this poor savage has learned his duplicity 
from the whites ; for alas, too many white men 
have played the traitor. 

When he had gone a few rods he suddenly 
thought of " Old Monmouth." Could he desert 
his old friend in a time of danger, even to save 
his own life .'' As he returned, olancins: keenlv 



THE PIONEER. 2 1 

around him, his eye fell on a slip of paper on the 
ground. He remembered that he had provided 
his friend with the paper, and also a pencil of red 
" keel." It was indeed the old trapper s rudely 
scrawled message. " Beware," it ran ; " Ingines is 
in the woods. I kin make frens and git 'em to go 
tords the fort, doan't tri to cum bak, kep rite on." 

Desperate as was the situation, Cabell could 
scarcely forbear smiling. " Poor old Monmouth," 
he thought, " always swamped in the hard places. 
Ever since the bread gave out, he has longed after 
civilization. A noble soul, but not faultless in his 
spelling." 

The familiar tinkle of a bell again reminded him 
of the horse. Going back he secured the animal, 
removed the bell, and provided himself with a 
large slice of the venison, knowing it would be 
hazardous to fire his gun again in that vicinity. 
He mounted the horse and rode swiftly away. 
" Old Monmouth " had made it impossible for him 
to return to the fort now. Otherwise, in his lone- 
liness and horror he might have been tempted to 
retreat. But, if the Indians had gone that way, 
safety he knew lay in the other direction. 

He traveled steadily for two days and nights, 
breaking the trail in the numerous streams by 
going some distance in the water ; eating his 
meat uncooked, lest the tell-tale smoke reveal his 



2 2 THE PIONEER. 

whereabouts ; taking every precaution to escape 
pursuit. 

After the first few days of vigilance, these days 
of loneliness were not without their recompense ; 
for Cabell was young and hopeful and possessed of 
a passionate love for nature. The farther he went 
the more secure he felt, for he recalled the promise 
made to Lord Dunmore by old Cornstalk, Chief 
of the Shawanese, at the Point Pleasant treaty. 
There should be, said this celebrated chieftain, no 
more war on the whites in " Cane-tuck-ee." He 
had said too that six of his men were then in that 
country and, not knowing of the treaty, might 
attack the whites ; if they were killed, no one, he 
declared, should suffer for it. These men whom 
Cabell had seen were doubtless the ones to whom 
Cornstalk referred. The chances of meeting some 
of the numerous settlers who had gone into that 
country early in the spring, was, he was certain, 
much greater than that of again running into the 
little band of Indians. 

The deep forests through which he passed, — * 

"The nodding horror of whose shady brow 
Threats the forlorn and wandering passenger," — 

filled him with a sort of awe ; but it was nearer 
akin to delight than dread. The swift rustle of 
some frightened animal did not startle him ; the 



THE PIONEER. 23 

only foe he dreaded was stealthy footed. Nature 
trailed her royal robes through these woods and 
glades, broidered with most exquisite flowers. Was 
all this stateliness and grandeur intended merely 
to adorn an Indian hunting-ground t Could any 
one question the white man's right to an honest 
purchase of these fertile acres from the savage, 
who made so poor a use of them } 

On the afternoon of the fifth day the darken- 
ing sky seemed to bode a coming storm. Turning 
his horse loose in an open glade Cabell proceeded 
to construct a camp on the hillside overlooking it. 
A niche between two rocks, roofed over with 
sticks and bark and moss until impervious to rain, 
and with an impenetrable doorway of brush, made 
a fortress to defy any ordinary marauder. 

He was soothed to sleep that night by a saturna- 
lian din of howling wolves and screeching cata- 
mounts, that might have unnerved a maturer man. 
They had come in quest of the choice bits of veni- 
son which he had swung to the branches of a tree. 
Once he awoke in the night, and from the howl- 
ing and growling, the spitting and snapping and 
crunching of bones, he concluded that a general 
massacre was going on outside ; but he turned 
over on his deerskin couch and dropped off to 
sleep again. Next morning there were no traces 
of the wassailers, except a few fragments of fur ; 



24 THE PIONEER. 

there were no traces of the venison either. It was 
raining sharply, and as there was no breakfast wait- 
ing, Cabell sank back on his couch and was soon 
asleep again. 

When he awoke, the rain had ceased, the sky 
was clear. He pushed aside the brush and was 
about to step forth when a moving figure on the 
plain below caught his eye. A horseman approached 
rapidly to where his horse was grazing, threw a 
halter round its neck and retreated as rapidly as he 
came. Horrors ! The Indians had found his trail, 
and were evidently confident of his capture, else 
they would never have shown themselves so openly. 
The fellow fled with his prize as if expecting in- 
stant pursuit ; but that was a ruse, of course, to 
draw him out. 

The horse which Cabell brought from home had 
been so severely wounded on the battle-field that 
he hired a soldier to kill it. But he had become 
attached to this one and felt almost as much 
discomfited by its loss as by the presence of the 
Indians. 

As he stood peering indignantly over his screen, 
a faint rustle in the bushes caused him to draw 
back quickly. And while he crouched, watching, a 
long, lithe panther crept out of the thicket, sniff- 
ing inquisitively in the air, as if to say : " Fe, fi, 
fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishmun ! " 




'•THE STRUGGLE WAS SHORT AND FIERCE." See page 20. 



THE PIONEER. 27 

She looked innocent enough. If Cabell had not 
known the beast he might have thought from the 
gentle tread, the large, mild-eyed gaze, that the creat- 
ure had been maligned. Fortunately, she caught a 
glimpse of the flying horseman below; her curiosity 
was aroused, and she set off down the hill at a 
brisk trot. 

As both his enemies had gone west Cabell now 
turned his face southward, leaving as distinct a trail 
in the soft earth and tender grass as the poorest 
Indian or panther could want. It was about one 
o'clock, and he had eaten nothing since the night 
before. Plenty of game about him, but the first 
shot would bring down the Indians, and Cabell was 
not ready yet to risk his life for food. 

Days of weary wandering through the woods 
ensued ; now south, now west, he went, searching 
diligently for traces of the settlers; living on roots 
and leaves, growing daily weaker, more lonely and 
desperate, until at length he sank down exhausted, 
scarce caring if he never rose again. Was the 
dream of life to end like this — scalped by Indians 
and devoured by wolves — the fiendish ghouls even 
then slinking with hideous patience on his track.? 

How long he lay there he never knew; but in 
those hours of agonized introspection he grew 
acquainted with his own soul, in all its majesty and 
all its weakness. 



28 THE PIONEER. 

Before me as I write lie three bits of paper; yel- 
low, crumpled and time-worn. Strange how these 
fragments have escaped destruction all these years, 
to furnish us a glimpse into the soul of that past 
which, with all our books, is little more to us than 
a graveyard. Have we not read all about those 
old pioneers ? Of their fighting and eating and 
sleeping and fighting again — with an occasional 
hour in the corn-field .f* What thoughts had they 
except of purely practical concern for the neces- 
saries of bodily existence .? Well, here are these 
bits of paper, written weeks apart ; the unpre- 
meditated outpourings of a heart as susceptible to 
noble or tender impressions as one might find among 
the cultivated youth of the present day. On the 
back of the first paper (which is entirely without 
punctuation) is a measured plan of Cabell's route 
throuo^h the wilderness ; on the written side this : 

" O though most holy and righteous Lord God of heaven 
and earth have mercy on me and help me to see the truth and 
confess it and grant me repentance and forgiveness for I feel 
that I have sinned in forsaking my father and mother in anger 
and help me that I may make amends for thou art mighty and 
able to help the poor afflicted that look to thee O Lord cause 
thy fear to be always before my eyes and thy love in my heart 
to constrain me from evil I have been forgetful of thy mercys 
and my poor heart is hardened but have mercy on me according 
to thy loving kindness for thy great names sake." 



THE PIONEER. 29 

The next paper is but an echo of the Litany, 
written in loneliness and peril, from that strange 
need of the human soul to give utterance to the 
emotions which overpower it. And on the third, 
yellow with the years, stands this solemn invocation 
to the only power by which the soul of man is held 
steadfast in a time of strong temptation : 

"O LORD GOD of Abraham Isaac and of Jacob have mercy 
on me and enliten my mind with the knowledge of that which 
is best suited to my condition and enable me to establish the 
rule of temperance in all things and to observe and practice 
that rule." 

Were ever such earnest petitions put up in vain } 
But deliverance seldom comes at once. Often the 
soul is thrown into still sorer straits. If you have 
stood the test of the fining-pot perhaps you are 
even worthy of the furnace. 

Cabell arose, feeling much comforted ; and when, 
a few rods farther, he came upon a distinct trail, 
or horseway, so evidently cut by white men that it 
seemed like an immediate answer to his prayer, 
he felt as if deliverance were at hand. As he 
pushed briskly forward he fancied now and then 
that he heard the faint crackling of bushes close 
behind him. He kept looking back uneasily, and 
at last stopped, determined to have it out with his 
stealthy enemy before night came on, when the ani- 



30 THE PIONEER. 

mal would have decidedly the advantage. He had 
only a few minutes to wait, when an immense wild- 
cat came out of the bushes and stood staring at 
him. He had heard of the power of the human 
eye over animals, and stared back as steadily ; but 
the fierce eyes grew fiercer, the hair rose on its 
back and the bushy tail began to wag menacingly. 
There was nothing to do but shoot the animal, if 
it brought the whole Shawenee tribe down on him. 
But first he must prepare for a fierce battle should 
his first shot prove futile, for the American wild- 
cat is even more savage than the panther. He 
loosened his knife in its sheath and slowly raised 
his rifle. When sure of his aim he pulled the 
trigger; the animal gave a wild leap into the air 
and fell to the earth, where it continued to flounder 
furiously. Another shot and it lay still enough. 

Cabell now hurried on more swiftly than before, 
staggering under the weight of his gun and blan- 
kets, hope growing fainter as his step grew feebler, 
until at length he sank down utterly insensible. 

When consciousness returned he found himself 
comfortably wrapped in a blanket. A fire was 
burning briskly near at hand, and before it a white 
man was seated, roasting meat. Cabell lay there 
for some minutes, trying to remember all that had 
gone before, and studying -the weather-bronzed face. 



THE PIONEER. 



31 



It was a strong face, and not unkindly. But he did 
not long lie quiet ; the smell of the broiling meat 
was more than a hungry man could stand. " Hello," 
he said, and the man looked around. 

" Howdy ? " There was a kindly smile in the blue 
eyes. " A little hungry, ain't ye } " and the stranger 
took the meat from the stick and handed it to 
Cabell, smilino; at the half-famished eagerness with 
which the lad accepted it. " How did you come 
here } " he asked. 

Cabell gave a brief account of himself. 

" You've done very well for a boy," said the 
other approvingly. 

"Boy.^" broke out Cabell a little resentfully, 
"why, I'm nineteen." 

The backwoodsman 
laughed, and as Cabell 
lay meditating what to 
say next he fell asleep 
again. When he awoke 
there was no one there 
and he thought he had 
been dreaming. He 
arose with renewed 
vigor, his weariness all 
gone, and began to 
gather up his scattered 
effects and his still "a little hitngry, ain't ye?' 




32 THE PIONEER. 

more scattered thoughts. " It's well I ain't an 
Injun," said a quiet voice behind him. " You'd 
'a' lost your scalp, certain, young man. Are you 
ready to travel } " 

It was no dream then, after all. There stood the 
man who had befriended him, his rifle on his shoul- 
der. " You've slept twelve hours ; better eat your 
breakfast now and we'll be off. It's five miles to 
our settlement." 

" Which one is that } " asked Cabell, attacking 
the nicely-roasted wild duck he found beside him 
with keen relish. 

" It's called Boonesboro', I b'lieve." 

" The most important in the country, isn't it } " 

" No ; Harrodstown is older. Mr. Harrod and 
forty others built some of their houses last year; 
but the Injuns were so fierce they had to leave. 
And then Gov'nor Dunmore sent a messenger to 
warn the surveyors he'd sent out, of the prepara- 
tions for war at Fort Pitt " — 

" Yes, I know ; that messenger was Daniel Boone," 
interrupted Cabell. 

— " And we all went and joined Colonel Lewis 
and fought with him at Point Pleasant." 

" That battle made it much safer for the settlers 
here," continued Cabell. " Old Cornstalk promised 
you shouldn't be disturbed here again by his 
men." 



THE PIONEER. 33 

" All the same we've had four fights already," 
said the guide. " One just as we finished this road, 
when we lost four men, killed and wounded. The 
next day five more were killed, and one more in the 
next fight. But I think we've about finished that 
party," and the hunter smiled grimly. " Gov'nor 
Dunmore — he was too anxious for peace. One 
more blow and we'd 'a' cleaned 'em out." 

" I think Governor Dunmore did exactly right," 
said Cabell quickly. " The Indians have been 
shamefully treated; their land taken and their men 
killed without provocation ; and when that grand 
old chief Cornstalk came and begged for peace, 
would you have denied him } " 

" It was Cap'n Cresaps that killed the friendly 
Injuns," said the hunter, with a smile of forbear- 
ance which made Cabell feel very young; "and 
Gov'nor Dunmore's nephew, Connolly, he begun 
the war. Pittsburg belonged to Pennsylvania and 
was held by St. Clair, and Connolly came and took 
possession by force. Then he organized the militia 
and garrisoned the fort and declared war." 

" Maybe that is why Lord Dunmore was so ready 
for peace; he thought the war a needless one," 
suggested Cabell. 

" It was said the Injuns promised Gov'nor 
Dunmore to help him if the colonists should give 
him trouble," the stranger replied. 



34 THE PIONEER. 

" I don't believe it," exclaimed Cabell warmly. 
There was a long pause in which Cabell began to 
fear he had offended his kind friend. 

Presently the hunter stepped aside. " Wait here," 
he said; " I've got a buck out there swinging on a 
tree, if the painters hain't got it by this time." He 
was gone only a few minutes and returned with the 
deer on his shoulder. He refused Cabell's offer to 
carry it, and they went on as briskly as before. 

Ordinarily Cabell was no great talker, but now 
he was full of questions ; he asked about the peo- 
ple, the country, the customs, and each reply brought 
out a fresh query. He learned that there were 
about three hundred citizens in Kentucky, and over 
two hundred acres under cultivation. " Do you 
know Daniel Boone ? " he asked. 

" Yes," said the other, looking grave. 

" He's the leading man of the settlement, isn't 
he ? " 

" No," with a glance of surprise. 

" Who is, then t " 

" Colonel Henderson, of course. He's the leader 
of the Transylvania Company. He went to see the 
Indians and bought the land from 'em; that's the 
first real purchase that's been made here. The 
British agent claimed to have bought the land from 
the Six Nations ; but, as the Six Nations didn't 
own it, and if they did were never paid for it, that 



THE PIONEER. 35 

trade didn't count. The Cherokees and Shavvanese 
gave up their claim to it in their treaty with Gov- 
'nor Dunmore; but nobody paid the Injuns a 
penny till Colonel Henderson gave 'em that ten 
thousand pounds." 

" Boone was here first," persisted Cabell. " He 
was here alone a long while, and he knows more 
about this country than anybody." 

" That's nothing," persisted his guide. "Colonel 
Henderson is the leader. He organized a legis- 
lature, and had an Episcopal preacher to come and 
hold service — under a bigr elm-tree." 

o 

" Are you Colonel Henderson } " 

" No ; I'm Daniel Boone." 

" Daniel Boone ! " exclaimed Cabell, gazing at 
his companion with a thrill of irrepressible excite- 
ment. 

A thousand questions sprang to his lips ; but a 
new surprise prevented their utterance, for here 
they were at the settlement — a little cluster of 
log-cabins, that seemed to Cabell but a poor 
defense against the remorseless savaees. 



CHAPTER II. 



IN THE BEGINNING. 




HE cordial welcome he 
received at the fort, or 
" station," put new life 
into Cabell. The peo- 
ple there had never 
heard of him before ; 
but that was nothing. 
Boone's introduction 
was all sufficient : " A 
young man I found in 
the woods ; walked all the way from Fort Pitt by 
himself, and killed an Injun on the way." They 
gathered round him to hear his story; they asked 
a multitude of questions. Did he know anything 
about the trouble between the Government and 
the colonists ? Was it true about the battle at 
Lexington, of which they had just heard ? Had 
war really begun ? 

But Cabell had been a long time on the way; he 
had not even heard of the battle at Lexington. 
There had been threats of war with England for 



IN THE BEGINNING. 3/ 

SO long a time that he could scarcely believe hos- 
tilities had actually commenced. For a moment he 
experienced a passing pang of regret. But to give 
up this new life of freedom at the very outset, to 
leave this glorious wilderness unexplored, to turn 
his back upon all its fierce and fascinating tenants, 
and go back to the irksome servitude of civilization, 
was a feat of self-denial beyond his present moral 
strength. He would write to his father at the very 
first opportunity and place himself at his disposal ; 
thus suppressing in their incipiency the first un- 
comfortable qualms of conscience. 

The " station " of Boonesboro' was a continuous 
row of cabins with doors opening upon a central 
court-yard. Only about half the houses, which, 
roofs and all, were built entirely of hewn logs, were 
completed. Most of the men were away from 
home, hunting or surveying, but an arrival sufficed 
to draw the rest from their work. At night Cabell 
saw them all. They were for the most part rude, 
uneducated men; many of them mere adventurers 
or hunters attracted by the abundance of game ; 
some, honest, manly fellows seeking homes for 
their families, and, as in all new settlements, a few 
unscrupulous speculators drawn hither by the hope 
of gain. 

Cabell regretted having missed the Legislative 
Assembly — the first ever held on that side of the 



38 IN THE BEGINNING. 

AUeghanies. He wondered at the rapidity with 
which the legal forces had taken root in this new 
land. No sooner had they secured a scant shelter 
over their heads than they hastened to inaugurate 
the Law in all her majesty. It was of course the 
work, mainly, of Judge Henderson ("Colonel" on 
Kentucky soil). The war-whoop of the Indian was 
not more dreaded by Daniel Boone than was the 
paraphernalia of the courts. 

" But if Colonel Henderson is the leading spirit," 
thought Cabell, " Daniel Boone is the mainstay of 
the colony." And he felt almost bereaved when 
Boone, soon afterward, set out for the Clinch River 
settlement to bring out his family. 

The " nine commandments," as they facetiously 
called their nine laws, were much criticised by the 
grotesque-looking borderers who sat roasting their 
meat around the camp fires. Simple children of 
nature they were ; bad, selfish children, some of 
them, resisting all restraint in the name of free- 
dom. The acts for preserving " perfect freedom 
of religious opinion" — which with them meant 
thinking and doing about as one pleased — and for 
" improving the breed of horses," met with unquali- 
fied approval ; but the rest were " nothin' but 
trickery." Was it any business of the Rev. Mr. 
Lythe's if they swore a little now and then, or 
hunted on Sunday ? It was tyranny to interfere 



IN THE BEGINNING. 39 

with their rights, that it was ! They had come to 
" Kentucky " (that was how Colonel Henderson 
called it, though it was plain the Indians meant 
Cane-turkey) to get rid of all this law trickery; 
and here the very first thing the old line was 
drawn and they were ordered to toe the mark. 
" Look at them Puritans," they said ; " putting 
people in jail because they didn't think as they 
did. Why couldn't people be satisfied to go their 
own way and let other folks alone t " 

There were other occasions for grumbling than 
those furnished by the law. Colonel Henderson 
was charQ^inQT too much for the land. Fourteen 
cents an acre was preposterous with wages only 
thirty-three cents a day ! A dollar a day was none 
too much ; digging and hauling saltpeter and mak- 
ing ammunition was no fun. As for the land, they 
oughtn't pay anything for that. " It doesn't belong 
to Colonel Henderson, anyway," they grumbled ; "it 
belongs to the Gov'ment, and here we've paid two 
dollars for a piece o' paper that ain't wuth shucks ! " 

The wildest, most extravagant tales of personal 
prowess, too, were related around the campfires. 
Ben Bean had fought ten hours at a stretch ao^ainst 
twenty Indians, shooting them down one after 
another, deluding them with his old hat into think- 
ing they were fighting against a whole army. Abe 
Jarvis had been charged upon by an immense herd 



40 IN THE BEGINNING. 

of buffalo — five hund'ed, yes, a thousan' — and, 
with a skill and presence of mind truly marvelous, 
had succeeded in catching one by the horns and 
springing upon its back ; and there he stuck until 
the buffaloes had scattered far and wide, when he 
sprang off and shot the finest of the herd. 

But the theme most frequent with these swag- 
gerers was their lineage : " My father was a raal 
Vaginny nabob, he was. Druv the spankinest 
four-in-hand, an' hed the most splendiferous pack 
uv hounds ever you seed." And, " My gran'sir wus 
a English juke. He'd a palace what covered a 
ten-acre field, and four hund'ed niggers." 

" But they don't hev niggers in Britain," objected 
one. 

" Oh ! they don't, don't they t That's all you 
know 'bout it. Why, King Gawge hes ten hund'ed 
o' the blackest niggers ever you seed. Don't hev 
niggers, hey .f* Why, Bill, I'm 'stonished at yo' 
ign'ance o' g'og'afy." 

At this Cabell burst into an irrepressible fit of 
laughter. The hector who had claimed lineage 
with a " juke " sprang to his feet, glaring with fierce 
eyes and doubled, drawn-back fist. " What's the 
matter with you, you blamed young whipper-snapper, 
you } " 

" Keep your seat, sir, keep your seat," said 
Cabell good-humoredly. " It's a pity the juke lives 



IN THE BEGINNING. 



41 



SO far away ; he hasn't half a chance to appreciate 
his fine grandson at so long a range." 

" Is that any o' yo' business, you good-fer-nothin' 
popinjay? Wus I a-sayin' anythin' to you? blast 
yo' — say? " and he aimed a blow at Cabell's face. 

But Cabell, with his usual readiness, dodged the 
blow and immediately knocked the fellow down. 




"my GRAN'SIR wus a ENGLISH JUKE." 

" Give it to him, Tuggs ; give it to him ! " cried 
the bully's friends. But it was no use, Cabell's 
grip was like a vise. When he had thumped 
Tuggs's head against the ground a few times he 
released him. " There," he exclaimed, " I'll thank 
you to keep your fist to yourself, next time." 



42 IN THE BEGINNING. 

"Hurray fer young Vaginny!" cried the fickle 
crowd. 

Cabell had spent a good deal of his time, since 
his arrival, in recuperating his spent energies 
beneath the shade of the " divine elm," as 
Colonel Henderson called the immense tree whose 
hundred feet of shade had served the Rev. John 
Lythe as a church, and the law-makers as a capitol. 
From this the colonists rashly inferred that the 
newcomer was lacking in spirit; this denoueme7it 
was therefore as unexpected to them as it was to 
the discomforted bruiser. 

Tuggs scrambled to his feet, pretending to be 
badly damaged, and with a vindictive glance at 
Cabell went off scowling and muttering threats of 
vengeance. Cabell looked after him with vague 
regret. He hadn't hurt the fellow much, but he 
had wounded his vanity; forever ruined his reputa- 
tion as a fighter, and made of him an enemy for 
life. And all because he could no better manage 
his own temper than could the untutored foresters 
to whom he had hoped to be a shining example. 
Up to this time he had secured the good-will of 
his associates. Already they began to rely on his 
judgment ; and more than once he had made peace 
on the ragged edge of a quarrel ; and a quarrel 
meant serious things here: black eyes, bloody 
noses and broken heads. But all that was spoiled 



IN THE BEGINNING. 43 

now — for he could not make peace in his own 
quarrels. 

At this juncture Colonel Henderson came hastily 
out of his cabin followed by two or three young 
men. " What's the matter here } " he exclaimed, 
with a judicial frown. "Who's been fighting? " 

" The new feller, there, an' Tuggs," volunteered 
a rough-looking fellow, pointing at the culprit with 
a grin. 

Colonel Henderson looked at Cabell in surprise. 
" Who began it t " 

" I laughed at him, if you call that beginning it," 
said Cabell coldly. To be sorry for a thing, and to 
confess it to a frowning judge and a malicious jury, 
are two different things. 

" Who struck the first lick .? " 

" I did," said Cabell, with a laugh. He really 
hoped some one would explain how it was ; but no 
one offered him any assistance. 

" Come with me," said Colonel Henderson 
sternly. He led the way into a corner cabin, where 
several men sat around on blocks of wood and 
knapsacks ; books and pencils and large sheets of 
paper lay on their laps. In the center of the room 
was a primitive lamp, consisting of a shallow pan 
mounted on a stick and filled with bear's oil ; its 
clumsy wick of twisted rags, contributed more 
odoriferous smoke than lisfht to the scene. " Now 



44 IN THE BEGINNING. 

let's hear how it happened," said the judge, sud- 
denly relaxing his severity and seating himself 
on his block, leaving Cabell the choice of standing 
or seating himself on the earthen floor. " How 
did you happen to strike Tuggs first, and — do him 
up so unmercifully ? " His smile of satisfaction 
convinced Cabell that he had only called him in to 
hear the tale of Tuggs's downfall. 

" Tuggs done up ! " exclaimed a young man, 
springing to his feet. " Gimme your hand ! I'd 
'a' done it myself if I'd had the time." This 
genial, impulsive fellow was George Rogers Clarke, 
subsequently noted as one of the leading founders 
of the Commonwealth, and also her chief defender. 

This year, in which there were only three or four 
battles, was called the year of peace. As yet there 
were no women in Kentucky. Slavery, however, 
had found an early start, several of the settlers 
having brought their servants with them. There 
were four settlements now, besides Boone's — 
Harrod's, Logan's, McAfee's and Kenton's ; the 
latter wholly unknown to the rest. In visiting one 
of these stations, Cabell, to his great joy, found his 
horse. It had occurred to him before that the 
thief might be a white man. He gladly paid the 
dollar the fellow demanded, and, mounted once 
more on his fleet Indian horse, whose every move- 
ment evinced an exultant joy in the chase, he gave 



IN THE BEGINNING. 45 

himself over to the fascination of this untram- 
meled life in the wilderness. 

Could anything be more beautiful than the vast, 
open forests, with their long, winding aisles of mas- 
sive trees ; or the wide plains covered with tall 
grass which rippled and flashed in the sunlight like 
blue steel ? The far-reaching glades were clothed 
in all the lavish opulence of rank red clover, in 
full bloom. What wonder that great droves of 
buffalo, deer and elk ranged these well-watered pas- 
tures where they fared so sumptuously every day } 

And those elephantine creatures of the past, 
whose bones Cabell had seen at the Big Bone Lick 
— teeth weighing ten pounds, tusks eleven feet 
long, ribs large enough for tent poles — he pon- 
dered much over their summary taking off. But 
he pondered only as a dreamer ; for no collection of 
these antediluvian relics was made until 1803; and 
then Dr. Goforth, who gathered some together, 
very unwisely intrusted them to an English adven- 
turer, who in turn sold them in London and 
pocketed the proceeds. Of the second collection, 
made by order of President Jefferson, a part was 
presented to Cuvier, the distinguished French 
naturalist, while the remainder was ruthlessly de- 
stroyed as " rubbish " by some unlettered patriot at 
Washington. 

As Cabell grew acquainted with the wild crea- 



46 IN THE BEGINNING. 

tures of the woods, he lost his fierce thirst for their 
life. Often he stood lost in admiration as the 
graceful deer rose from its leafy couch and paused 
in startled wonder ere it sped away on the wings 
of the wind ; he watched the alert movements of 
the squirrel as it whisked about the lofty premises 
of its ancestral home. Once this young pioneer 
had worshiped Nature like a heathen ; but now 
he began to see and to hear, in her glance and 
voice, unmistakable evidences of things unseen. 
Faith grew into conviction ; he knew that a living 
God dwelt overhead, and that this life was only a 
beginning. He became more humble and more 
serene. Whatever happened, despair could never 
touch his soul again. 

In September Daniel Boone returned, bringing 
his family. Mrs. Boone, a comely, energetic matron, 
and her daughter, a lively, bright-eyed girl, received 
a most cordial welcome at the "station." Other 
families were expected in a few days. They had 
started for Kentucky two years previous, but had 
been attacked by Indians, and six of their party 
killed ; among the victims had been Boone's eldest 
son. In dismay the emigrants turned and fled 
from " the dark and bloody ground." But in the 
interval of peace their courage revived, and they 
now ventured back again. 

Cabell's free and easy life suddenly terminated 



IN THE BEGINNING. 47 

in an imperative call to work. The houses must 
be finished before cold weather set in ; the corn 
must be gathered and housed. The summons was 
not entirely agreeable. At first he was a little 
angry as well as very awkward with the axe which 
kept flying aslant. But by and by as his temper 
cooled and his muscles strengthened, his strokes 
began to go straight home. And long afterward 
when there came an undreamed-of time that re- 
quired the utmost muscular vigor, he was fervently 
thankful for this enforced training. 

The rumor that both Governor Martin of North 
Carolina and Lord Dunmore had declared Colonel 
Henderson's purchase illegal, encouraged certain 
malcontents to appeal to Virginia, in the hope of 
obtaining land without paying for it. But the royal 
Governor had his hands too full already. He would 
doubtless have much preferred to cut a piece off the 
rebellious State rather than to add to it. He simply 
ignored the appeal. It was not until 1778 that 
Virginia set up legal claim to Kentucky, as a sort 
of border to her robe of state. In doing this she 
limited the Henderson purchase to a tract of land 
twelve miles square. 

Neither would Congress, then in session at Phila- 
delphia, pay any attention to the independent little 
" Colony of Transylvania." This was the imposing 
name that had been chosen by the Kentucky 



48 IN THE BEGINNING. 

colonists with a view, perhaps, to impressing the 
mighty Congress, into whose unheeding ear she 
breathed a wish " to be counted one with the 
colonies in the cause of freedom." At the same 
time, with diplomatic shrewdness, she expressed 
the utmost respect for the reigning sovereign. 

In the midst of this political uncertainty an 
event occurred which warned them that no reliance 
need be placed on a treaty of peace with savages. 
It was the day before Christmas, and the whole set- 
tlement was in high good-humor. Mrs. Boone was 
engaged in preparing her little store of luxuries, 
reserved for this holiday occasion. Mrs. Calloway 
had dropped in for a minute, partly on a friendly 
visit and partly to effect an interchange of a few 
hoarded bits of groceries. She had brought a 
little sugar and wanted in exchange a bit of dried 
fruit. 

" Dan'l says they hev jest oudlins o' blackberries 
an' strawberries an' raspberries here in the summer," 
remarked Mrs. Boone. 

" Yes," returned Mrs. Calloway, " so Richard 
told me ; an' I says ' Why didn't you dry some } ' 
An' he says, ' Didn't think uv it.' That's Richard 
all over; never thinks o' nothin' 'less I tell 'im. I 
don't b'lieve he'd 'a' planted thet corn-patch ef I 
hadn't 'a' charged him, jest es he wus startin', ' Be 
shore you plant some corn, Richard ! ' " 




BETSEY Calloway's ruse. Sl-c pa^i;^ ^t, 



IN THE BEGINNING. 5 I 

" I wish I'd 'a' thought to charge Dan'l," said 
Mrs. Boone regretfully. " He's lived so long on 
meat he don't set much store on bread. He ain't 
overfond o' plowin', no how. Nex' year I'll see he 
gits in a crop." With which hopeful outlook for 
" nex' year " she turned to her daughter : " Jemima, 
turn them turkeys ! " 

Three fat turkeys hung suspended before the 
fire, with a pan under each to catch the drippings, 
which Jemima dipped up from time to time and 
poured over the roasting fowls. " What's that, 
mother?" she suddenly exclaimed, springing up 
with a look of alarm. " Didn't you hear some one 
scream ? " 

" I heard a gun — Colonel Campbell's, I reckon. 
He's jest gone across the river with two boys." 
But all hands went out to look. As they stood 
gazing across the river they saw Colonel Campbell 
rush down to the landing, spring into his boat and 
row across. He came up the bank much excited. 
Two Indians had shot at him, he said, and the two 
boys who had no guns were doubtless killed. 

As there were ten or twelve men across the river 
hunting, this report created great excitement. 
Colonel Boone was called, and collecting a large 
party of men, he crossed the river to search for the 
missing boys. The party did not return until dark, 
and had seen neither the boys nor Indians. All 



52 IN THE BEGINNING. 

the hunters returned in due season, and for four 
days the search was continued. At last they found 
one of the boys; he had been killed and scalped — 
the other was never heard of again. 

Jemima Boone, who was only fourteen, was a 
warm admirer of Betsey Calloway, who was sixteen. 
With her black eyes, her rich complexion and 
bright ways, Betsey had many admirers besides 
Jemima. She was so clever! No one could dress 
— or rather undress — a turkey so deftly. And 
her cotton gown, made by her own hands, had such 
a jaunty air. 

From all we have heard of Betsey, it is evident 
she understood and felt the real dignity of life — 
of even a mere girl's life. She knew little enough 
of geography and still less of arithmetic ; possibly 
she thought the world was flat, and not more than 
forty-five miles square, at that. But for all this 
Betsey was as quick at detecting genuine goodness 
under a homely garb, and shallowness and pretense 
beneath a fair outside, as the most scholarly girl- 
graduate of the present day ; perhaps quicker. 
Hence she favored, among all her numerous ad- 
mirers, the serious, sensible Samuel Henderson, a 
brother of the Colonel. 

In blackberry time, the three girls, Jemima, 
Betsey and her sister Fanny, often strolled along 
the edge of the woods, or by the river side, gather- 



IN THE BEGINNING. 53 

ing berries. True, there might be Indians in the 
woods ; it was their crafty way to steal upon their 
victims when least expected. Indeed a man had 
been murdered in just that way at Lee's Station 
only two months ago. But Betsey was not afraid 
of Indians ; not she ! and Jemima and Fanny 
seldom thought of them, especially when every- 
thing was so beautiful. 

One lovely morning when all the men were off 
hunting, Jemima said to her two girl friends, 
" There's one boat left ; let's have a nice row on the 
river." Their mothers did not object, and the girls 
set off in high glee. They rowed up and down ; 
they splashed the water to see how far the ripples 
would go ; they sang old songs from over the seas, 
all unconscious of the fierce eyes watching them 
from the cane-brake near the landino:. 

At noon they turned toward home. As they 
were about to land the bushes began to rustle, and 
suddenly two wicked-looking savages rushed out, 
seized their boat and dragged it upon the shore, 
while three others stood ready to shoot them should 
they attempt to escape. The girls began to scream 
and Betsey fought bravely with her oar, but all in 
vain. They were hurried away through the woods, 
they knew not to what horrible fate. 

Betsey, ever fertile in resources, began to mark 
their way by breaking the bushes, until one of the 



54 /^V THE BEGINNING. 

Indians threatened her with his tomahawk, when 
she tore off bits of her dress and scattered along 
the way. The two younger girls only sobbed, and 
said their prayers and tried to keep pace with their 
cruel captors. We can imagine the despair which 
these poor girls felt as they hastened through the 
interminable forest. Could it be only a few min- 
utes ago, they thought to themselves, in the sombre 
religious strain of those sombre days, that they 
were laughing and singing so gaily on the spark- 
ling waters, blissfully unconscious of the immortal 
souls within them, now in such imminent peril of 
the Judgment? 

When Daniel Boone and the rest of the hunters 
returned from the hunt they found the fort in a 
great commotion ; Mrs. Boone and Mrs. Calloway 
were weeping for their lost ones, and every one was 
thinking his turn might come next. Preparations 
for the pursuit were made at once. Every man in 
the fort desired to go, but Colonel Boone would 
have only eight. In an expedition where quick- 
ness and silence were indispensable it would not 
do to take too many ; for, as soon as the Indians 
found themselves hunted down, they would scalp 
their captives and take to the woods. All acknowl- 
edged the truth of this, and looked around in eager 
expectancy to see who were most likely to be 
chosen for such delicate duty. 



IN THE BEGINNING. 55 

In the pause Samuel Henderson stepped forward 
and said quietly but with an air of determination, 
" Whoever goes or stays, I am going." 

Boone looked at him, but said nothing. Then 
two other young men, John Holder and Flanders 
Calloway, came out boldly and declared they at all 
hazards, would go, too. Boone did not talk much, 
but perhaps saw all the more for that ; and he 
probably reflected that the expedition would lose 
nothing by enlisting these brave young fellows 
whose hearts were in the enterprise. At any rate, 
they were included in the party. Colonel Calloway 
went, of course, and also Colonel Floyd — from 
whose pen we have by far the most graphic account 
that has been preserved. 

They travelled all that night and the following 
day, finding now and then a bit of muslin or a" 
broken switch, or the print of Betsey's shoe in the 
buffalo path which the Indians sometimes travelled. 
Betsey had refused to change her shoes for mocca- 
sins as they had forced the other girls to do. At 
last they saw a gentle smoke curling in the air; 
the captors had kindled a fire to cook some buf- 
falo meat. Boone took the lead, motioning to the 
others to keep utter silence. 

They crept cautiously forward, screening them- 
selves behind a clump of bushes. The three 
girls were there, alive, but sadly worn with fatigue 



56 IN THE BEGINNING. 

and distress. The two younger girls lay sobbing 
with their heads on Betsey's lap. She was trying 
to comfort them, though there could have been 
but little hope in her own heart. She had a red 
handkerchief tied over her head, having probably 
lost her bonnet along the way. One of the party, 
seeing only the red kerchief and the round, sun- 
browned cheek, lifted his gun and was about to 
administer a crushing blow upon poor Betsey's de- 
fenseless head, when Henderson caught his hand, 
with such a look of mingled fury and horror as the 
blundering hunter must have remembered for many 
a day. 

Just as they were taking aim the Indians saw 
them and sprang away, leaving all their knives, 
war-clubs and tomahawks behind them. Four of 
the kidnapers were shot, only one escaping to tell 
the tale. 

But who can describe the joy of the three forlorn 
captives at this unexpected deliverance from death, 
or from a life worse than death ! All the bright- 
ness and beauty came back to the world. And on 
their return the thirty miles they had traversed 
seemed scarcely more than ten. 

Nothing is told us of that homeward journey, 
but we can well believe that the elders kindly 
trudged along in front, or fell to the rear, and gave 
the three youthful couples a fair chance for sym- 



IN THE BEGINNING. 57 

pathetic confidences ; for in due season came three 
merry weddings attended with all the pomp and 
circumstance possible in a howling wilderness. 
And young Cabell derived more pleasure from 
the festivities than he had from many a stately 
Virginia marriage-feast. 

In the midsummer days — after the marriage of 
Samuel Henderson and Elizabeth Calloway, by 
Squire Boone (the brother of Daniel, and a sort of 
amateur Baptist preacher) — George Rogers Clarke 
returned from Virginia, bringing with him five 
hundred pounds of powder. This he had extorted 
from the Legislature for the defence of Kentucky; 
for by this time the forests were full of Indians, 
seeking Yankee scalps, for which the British had 
offered rewards. 

" I told the Virginia folks," said Clarke, " that 
Kentucky would wait a reasonable length of time 
and then look elsewhere for assistance. I told 
them that a country that was not worth defending 
was not worth having." 

France had planted a chain of colonies alono- 
the Mississippi River from the lakes to the gulf; 
Spain hoped to achieve the Mississippi Valley. 
Either of these powers would gladly have taken 
Kentucky under her wing. But, though neither 
Congress nor Virginia took any notice of her 
appeals, except to say what she should not do, 



58 IN THE BEGINNING. 

Kentucky determined to rely upon herself. She 
decided to stand alone ; to fight her own battles ; 
to make her own laws. All the settlers were now 
Sfathered into the two fortified stations of Boones- 

o 

boro' and Harrodsburg. Many had fled ; some, as 
Colonel Floyd warned them, " to die on the way, 
like cowards." 

Cabell, who by the advice of his father, had pur- 
chased a thousand acres of land, decided to remain 
in Kentucky. As the Virginia laws at that time 
gave all the landed estate to the oldest son, it was 
considered a lucky thing that Edmund had such a 
knack at providing for himself. He deemed it his 
duty to remain on "his property," and he was not 
ill-pleased with his lot. He had become greatly 
attached to Boone, and the two Hendersons and 
Colonel Floyd were men of intelligence and refine- 
ment. Clarke was now at Harrodsburg; so was 
Logan, an attractive, brave and resolute man ; he 
had maintained a station of his own until anxiety 
for the safety of his family induced him to remove 
them to Harrod's Station. As for Kenton, he was 
wherever the fio-htins: was thickest. 

But amongst these pioneers there were also 
many worthless vagabonds whose coarseness and 
vulgarity were hard to endure. There was Tuggs, 
for instance ; he and Cabell had mutually shunned 
each other since their first encounter. To do 



IN THE BEGINNING. 



59 



Cabell justice, it must be admitted that he had 
exerted himself to be civil whenever they met. 
One morning as Cabell was cleaning his rifle, he 
saw Tuggs coming rather hurriedly toward the 
fort. He looked so pale and excited that Cabell 
called out, " Anything wrong, Tuggs ? " 

" A rattlesnake bit me," he panted, "jest es I was 
goin' to shoot the finest buck ever you seed." 

"Where? " exclaimed Cabell eagerly. 

" Jest down back o' the woods yander. If you 
hurry you'll git one, certain. There's a hull drove 
uv 'em." 

Deer were now exceedingly scarce around the 
fort. Cabell looked at Tuggs earnestly. " You 
look pale, Tuggs ; can't 
I do anything for you 1 " 

" No ; I know what 
to do fur it. You hurry 
down thar or you'll lose 
that thar deer." 

Could it be that 
Tuggs was going to 
die, that he was so un- 
usually gracious 1 Had 
the poison already be- 
gun to take effect ? 
Cabell started off at a 
quick pace, but could 




THE TORTURE POST. 



6o nv THE BEGINNING. 

not refrain from glancing back. Tuggs was still 
gazing after him as if more concerned for the suc- 
cess of the deer-killing than for the cure of his 
dangerous wound. 

Cabell hurried round the woods, but saw no deer. 
While stealing lightly among the trees, glancing 
keenly about for signs of game, he heard a slight 
noise behind him, and suddenly two Indians sprang 
out of the bushes and covered him with their guns. 
He sprang at once behind a tree, and levelling his 
gun, first at one and then the other foeman, for a few 
minutes held them at bay. He had just made up his 
mind to shoot one and knock down the other when 
suddenly he was seized from behind by two more 
who had stolen upon him in the rear. His hands 
were quickly bound and he was dragged rapidly 
through the woods. Tuggs had betrayed him. 

When they had gone about ten miles they came 
upon four horses grazing in an open space. Cabell's 
captors fastened a long rope around his waist; then 
they mounted and dragged him after them by the 
halter, laughing at the ludicrousness of his en- 
forced march. As they rode quite rapidly Cabell 
was compelled to run with all his might; leaping 
great stones, rushing through streams, torn by 
brambles, panting loudly, thinking every moment 
to fall and be shot, but still running. 

At last they halted ; Cabell sank down ex- 



IN THE BEGINNING. 6 1 

hausted. The Indians gave him food and water 
and then began to question him in broken English, 
calhng him "foolish boy " for not calling aloud for 
his friends at the fort. 

" Do you take me for a squaw? " he asked, glar- 
ing at them. He knew too well the fate reserved 
for him : to be tortured for their amusement until 
utterly wearied and then to be burned at the stake. 
" Kill me now," he demanded. " I'll not be dragged 
another step." 

They understood his looks and gestures better 
than his words. After a short powwowing among 
them Cabell was placed on the horse of the young- 
est, who ran alongside, holding the halter. They 
went on as rapidly as before for ten or twelve 
miles further; then the young Indian began to 
pant. Cabell, touched by his seeming self-sacrifice, 
offered to dismount and take his turn at running. 
The Indian looked at him suspiciously, but as- 
sented, and he was allowed to run all that day. 
At night he was bound tightly down to the ground. 
His feet were fastened to stakes and his arms pin- 
ioned to a stout stick placed across his breast. 

Escape was impossible. All through that long 
night, as he looked up at the moon and stars and 
wondered that they looked the same, he sought 
comfort, or at least forgetfulness, in the precious 
promises of a loving, omnipotent Father. Did he 



62 IN THE BEGINNING. 

lose faith in that love? O, no! He only repeated: 
" He that believeth . . . hath everlasting life." He 
had now arrived at that dreadful door before which 
every one must stand ; through which no one need 
pass but once. If it should be his fate to go now 
— it was well. Nevertheless there is always in the 
heart of the brave man the wish to live. 

Another day's travel brought the party in sight 
of an Indian village. Here they halted and gave 
vent to the shrill scalp-halloo. A crowd came tear- 
ing out with shrieks and yells to meet them. Cabell 
was stripped, a long double line was quickly formed, 
and through this he ran, naked, and beaten with 
clubs and thorny switches. His generosity in the 
matter of walking did not, as he had hoped it 
might, make any difference in his treatment. 

Fortunately for Cabell, just as he was nearing 
the goal there was another scalp-halloo ; and hastily 
fastenino^ him to a stake with stout thono;s of buf- 
falo hide, the whole party rushed off with fierce 
yells of delight. The whole afternoon was devoted 
to the torture of these new prisoners, who bore the 
cruelties with a fortitude unsurpassed by even the 
Christian martyrs. " And thousands have suffered 
and died like this," thought Cabell, who was forced 
to witness the terrible scene. At length they ceased 
to shrink from the fire brands and appeared to be 
praying, and at last fell forward insensible. 



IN THE BEGINNING. 63 

One of the prisoners — held in reserve, possibly, 
for another occasion — was bound to a small tree 
and left for the night. They seemed to have for- 
gotten Cabell, whose air of impenetrable calm con- 
cealed a depth of horror unfathomable. He was 
cold and hungry, but these indeed seemed minor 
afflictions compared with those he had been forced 
to witness. 

As soon as it was dusk Cabell began to work at 
the ropes with which he was bound. After a few 
desperate tugs, to his great joy the cords slipped 
over his wrists; his hands were free. By midnight 
all the knots were untied. 

Wrapping a blanket about him he stepped lightly 
over the sleeping guard, gathered up a knife, two 
guns and a corn-pouch ; then he cut the cords of 
the other prisoner. Silently and cautiously the two 
crept into the woods and made off as fast as their 
feet would carry them. As Cabell was now an ex- 
perienced woodsman they had no trouble in find- 
ing their way. From the distance and direction 
he had come from Boone's Station, Cabell knew 
they could not be far from Point Pleasant, and 
accordingly bent his steps in that direction. 

The fuQ-itives ran all that nis^ht and until noon 
next day ; then, completely exhausted, they hid 
themselves in a thicket and slept until night. The 
abundance of wild grapes in the woods, and the 



64 TN THE BEGINNING. 

parched corn in the pouch, kept them from starv- 
ing. At sunset next day they arrived at the Point 
Pleasant settlement in rather a pitiable condition, 
the costume of both including but one suit. Eliot, 
Cabell's companion, had generously divided his own 
with his deliverer. 

Eliot proved to be a great talker as well as a 
skillful Indian fighter. He lived at Fort Wheeling, 
he said, where they had been annoyed for a long 
while by the depredations of various tribes, notably 
the Mingoes, In endeavoring to recover some 
stolen horses, a small party of settlers had succeeded 
in killino; a Mino^o chief and several of his war- 
riors. Not being expert woodsmen they had lost 
their way in the wilderness; there they were soon 
captured. The cruelties Cabell had witnessed were 
in retaliation for the loss of their slain warriors. 

When Cabell heard all of his comrade's story 
he could not wholly condemn the Indians. The 
whites, too, had been unnecessarily cruel. They 
had come to consider the Indian as fair game ; they 
had hunted him down as remorselessly as though 
he were a wild beast. Even the remembrance of 
his sufferings could not shut out from Cabell's 
mind the logical results of continued injustice upon 
a barbaric nature. 



CHAPTER III. 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 




HOUGH now fairly on 
his way home, Cabell 
hesitated to present 
himself before h i s 
high-toned relatives in 
his dilapidated garb. 
He drew for himself 
a harrowing picture of 
his coming in from 
the woods — tattered, 
beggarly, hungry and way-worn. In fancy he heard 
the derisive mirth with which the gay company 
usually assembled beneath his father's expansive 
roof greeted the returning prodigal. And the 
Lady Augusta ! she, too, perhaps, would be there, 
more lovely and more impertinent than ever, a wit- 
ness of this forlorn home-coming. No ; another 
such wound as that he would not risk. 

He accompanied Eliot to Wheeling. Here he 
lingered for some weeks, working to procure such 

Yet yearn- 
65 



clothes as its meagre market afforded. 



66 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

ing thoughts of his own people, so near at hand, 
stirred within him. It was a long battle, but affec- 
tion at last won the victory over pride. The middle 
of November found him on his way home. 

Eliot took him in his canoe as far as Fort Pitt ; 
but Cabell did not tarry there long. The call " To 
arms ! " had swept away his few friends at that place. 
Even " Old Monmouth " had disappeared. With a 
last heroic effort he had enlisted in the army of 
freedom. It is easy to enlist, but once a soldier 
there is no going back ; and in due time Cabell's 
old friend descended into history as one of the 
units in the ofificial report of the battle of Long 
Island — " one thousand lost." 

Cabell reached his old Virginia home the second 
week in December. Instead of the anticipated 
brilliant assembly and the cold reception, he found 
a serious family group dressed in homespun cloth- 
ing but little better than his own. Better still, he 
found a welcome as warm as he could wish. The 
old order of things was completely changed. When 
Cabell left home nothing was used in the house that 
had not come from England. Now indulgence in 
London luxuries was deemed dissrraceful. To- 
bacco sheds were turned into corn-cribs ; all pro- 
visions that could be spared were sent to the 
American army. Many of the slaves had joined 
the British and it was now the fashion to work. 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 67 

We may well feel serious when we say good-by 
to our friends and go away for an extended absence. 
We are certain to find them strangers on our return. 
Cabell's brothers were both officers in the militia 
— fine, manly fellows, Edmund thought them, sur- 
prised at his feeling of affectionate pride. They 
seemed equally pleased with him, and were eagerly 
interested in all his adventures. He was now an 
extensive land-owner and, as in England only aris- 
tocrats possessed real estate, he was naturally 
regarded as a person of importance. 

The whole family united in giving him a minute 
account of the war. Seven Massachusetts men had 
been shot down on Lexinoton Green while emjacred 
in a peaceable militia drill. Was that to be borne } 
Then came the battle of Bunker Hill ; the capture 
of Ticondero2:a and of Crown Point ; the kind's re- 
fusal of the humble petition of the colonies ; the 
appointment of George Washington, a Virginian 
whom they all knew, as commander-in-chief of the 
New England army (and he had justified Mr. 
Adams' high estimate of him, they said, by keeping 
the British penned up in Boston all winter) ; — then 
came the glorious victory at Charlestown, followed 
by that dreadful defeat on Long Island ; and then 
the terrible winter, when the depressed and retreat- 
ing army left a trail of bloody footprints on the 
frozen ground, as they fell back before the well- 



68 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

provisioned British army. The mercenary rich, said 
Cabell's narrators, were daily going over to the 
enemy — preferring the sacrifice of their country to 
the loss of a few dollars. 

His father. Colonel Cabell, was not especially 
pleased at having to pay so much for the privilege 
of selling his tobacco in England, yet he did not 
think the demands of the king unreasonable. 
England ought to be repaid the seven million dol- 
lars which the seven years war with the French and 
Indians had taken out of her treasury. Still, if the 
British ministry wanted the debt paid, they were 
making a great mistake in tying the colonies' hands 
rather than giving them a better chance to make 
the money. William Pitt, America's best friend, 
had declared that the colonists had no right to make 
even a nail except by permission of England ; and 
Lord Dartmouth would have hung for piracy any 
one of them who dared to print a Bible. New 
England, of course, being dependent on her com- 
merce and manufacture, suffered most. When the 
port of Boston was closed, then even the independ- 
ent Virginia land-owner began to see that there 
was little hope of comfortable relations between the 
two countries so long as the colonies were ruled by 
a Parliament that neither knew nor cared anything 
about their rights or needs. 

The one thine: which Colonel Cabell resented 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 



69 



with all his might, was the continued importation 
of convicts to America to serve out their sentence 
and then be turned loose on the country — as if 
America were a penal colony. " A strange father, 
indeed," he declared, " would he be who would 
empty the deadly refuse of his own land upon that 







Vv#-^ 



ml' I 



^ m. 



^miiifMmi MMji/Myak^Si^Mi 



JW, 



AMBUSHED. 



of his children." Yet no one thought of making 
the king responsible for the persecutions of his 
cruel ministry, urged on by the hated Lord Dart- 
mouth. That the English people sympathized with 
their ill-used American cousins, they well knew. 
As for Lord Dunmore, Colonel Cabell thouQ-ht 



70 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

none the less of him that he had done his duty like 
a brave and spirited man and remained to harass 
and retard the rebels all he could. It would have 
suited these same rebels much better if Lord Dun- 
more had run away as had some of the other royal 
governors. 

In the two weeks of his visit, Edmund obtained 
a thorough view of the situation from his father's 
standpoint. He politely declined his brother's 
offer of a lieutenancy in the militia company of 
which he was colonel ; spending the most of his 
time with his mother and her young lady visitors, 
who were sewing and knitting for the soldiers. 

Edmund had gained much in manliness as well 
as spiritual grace from the difficulties and hardships 
of his frontier experience ; but he had lost some- 
what, too. He had been so long accustomed to the 
freedom of the forest that even the ordinary forms 
of civilized life had become irksome to him. His 
youthful awkwardness had merged into an austere 
dignity and reserve calculated to impress even his 
own family with great expectations of future dis- 
tinction. It was scarcely a surprise to them when 
he announced his intention of joining the disheart- 
ened little band on the banks of the Delaware ; 
though it seemed strange that the son of a wealthy 
planter should be willing to accept the humble 
position of a private soldier. 



2 HE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 7 1 

That this younger son of his old friend made a 
favorable impression on General Washington we 
infer from the fact that Edmund Cabell was in- 
cluded in the two thousand four hundred " picked 
men," who, three days later, crossed the Delaware 
in a driving storm, their boats in imminent peril 
on account of the floating ice, and fell upon the 
carousing Hessians at Trenton, capturing one thou- 
sand men. It was Christmas night, and so cold 
that two of the men were frozen to death. This, 
with the two killed in the fight, was the extent of 
the loss. A brave beginning. Sergeant Cabell. 

For a brief season, there was fighting and victory 
and praise of men — even Frederick the Great 
complimented the American general. But defeat 
soon came again, and the restrained movements of 
a terribly inadequate force ; spring, summer and 
autumn went by, and no chance for even a fair 
fight. Then the dreadful winter at Valley Forge; 
Congress complaining — itself meanwhile faring 
sumptuously every day — that the half-starved little 
band did not annihilate the British army; blaming 
the hard-pressed general, and trying to put the 
swaggering Gates in command ; even his own offt- 
cers finding fault with Washington's management 
and intimating that they could have done better. 

Through all the starving and freezing, the criti- 
cism and complaint, young Cabell stood firm in 



72 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

his allegiance to his general ; gaining slowly but 
steadily in rank and popular esteem. Then came 
another turn in the tide ; the young King of France, 
catching the enthusiasm of the gallant Lafayette, 
sent over the much-needed supplies of men, money 
and other munitions of war. At last the English 
people demanded peace for their sorely-tried kin- 
dred, and the long struggle came to an end. 

But the country was still in a sad condition. For 
seven years war had ravaged the land. Towns had 
been burned, crops destroyed, the treasury drained, 
and the spiritual tone of the people lowered. The 
British still held Charleston, Savannah and New 
York; war might be resumed any day. The States 
hung but loosely together. The favorite toasts in 
the army were: "Cement to the Union;" "A hoop 
to the barrel." 

The soldiers, whose families had suffered for 
food and clothing, while they fought for their coun- 
try, now demanded payment for their services ; 
but Congress, which throughout the struggle had sat 
there at Philadelphia quibbling and quarrelling, 
said there was nothing to pay. The soldiers, who 
knew how much rich land was lying fallow across 
the AUeghanies waiting to be tilled were justly in- 
censed at this; for a while it was doubtful whether 
this country was to be a free republic or a monarchy, 
with George Washington, or a younger son of King 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. J^ 

George, or one of the Bourbons as king. But 
Washington persuaded Congress to arrange for 
the payment of the -impoverished patriots, some of 
whom had sunk their patrimony in their country's 
cause, and harmony was restored. 

Many of Virginia's soldiers were paid in Ken- 
tucky lands; the long struggle of this valorous 
little province for independence having resulted 
only in her recognition, by the mother State, as the 
" County of Kentucky." For several years after 
the close of the war lonor trains of emio-rants miq-ht 
have been seen moving through the wilderness in 
that direction. 

Young Cabell had changed a good deal in tastes 
and looks. He had sickened of rudeness and crude- 
ness, and was now one of the most elegant officers in 
the army. His youthful ambition was at last real- 
ized. He was a distinguished man. But Lord 
Dunmore and his beautiful daughters were not there 
to see. Long ago they had shaken the dust of a 
rebellious and stiff-necked country from the soles 
of their shoes, and sailed across the sea to England. 

In the meantime a warfare even more bitter had 
been going on in Kentucky. Early in 1777 oc- 
curred the long siege of St. Asaph's, when for 
three months Logan and his fifteen men defended 
the fort against one hundred Indians. The cruel 
murder of Cornstalk, the p-reat Shawanese chief, in 



74 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

June, 1777, while on a peaceful mission to Captain 
Arbuckle, at Point Pleasant, had served to intensify 
the hostility of the Indians throughout the West; 
and almost daily Kentucky soil was the scene of 
bloodshed and violent death. 

In February, 1778, Daniel Boone and thirty other 
men were captured at the Blue Licks where they 
were making salt. In June came the attack on 
Boonesboro' by Du Quesne, with his twelve Cana- 
dians and four hundred and thirty-two Indians. 
Boone had escaped captivity, and after a walk of 
one hundred and sixty miles in four days, arrived 
just in time to take command of the garrison, which 
had only twenty-two men ; he conducted the nine 
days' siege to a successful termination with the loss 
of but two men to the enemy's thirty-seven. 

In the spring of 1779, Colonel David Rogers lost 
the greater part of his command in a battle nearly 
opposite Cincinnati (then a wilderness). Only ten 
out of the forty or fifty escaped and these reached 
home through untold suffering. In July of the 
same year occurred Colonel Bowman's fiasco at 
Chillicothe, by which he secured one hundred and 
sixty horses at the sad cost of nine brave soldiers. 

Meanwhile, Colonel George Rogers Clarke had 
distinguished himself by the conquest of Kaskaskia 
and Vincennes, the principal British strongholds 
in the west. In the summer, Colonel Byrd, with 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 77 

one thousand Indians and Canadians, retaliated by 
an attack on Ruddle's and Martin's Stations; in 
these affrays numbers of men, women and children 
were butchered by the Indians. Colonel Clarke 
replied by a counter-stroke, and with nine hundred 
and ninety-eight men destroyed the two Indian vil- 
lages, Piqua and Pickaway. He also cut down the 
standing corn, that the warriors might be com- 
pelled to remain at home and provide meat for 
their families. 

Little time was given to corn-planting in 1779, 
and notwithstanding serious disadvantages, the in- 
crease in population was so great during that year, 
that the price of grain during the winter rose from 
fifty to one hundred and sixty-five dollars per 
bushel ; man and beast alike suffered from hunger. 

In 1780, Kentucky, still a province of Virginia, 
was divided into three counties; Jefferson, named 
for the governor, who always seemed to have 
had a warm place in his heart for the neglected 
out-post ; Fayette, in honor of America's ardent 
friend, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Lincoln, 
for General Benjamin Lincoln, a brave ofhcer in 
the Revolution. 

That same year the towns of Louisville and Lex- 
ington were established; one named in honor of the 
young king of France, whose adoption of the cause 
of liberty was to cost him so dear, the other a 



y8 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

tribute of respect — and the first — to the now 
revered Massachusetts patriots who inaugurated 
the Revolution. 

In 1 78 1, during General Clarke's absence, a for- 
midable body of Indians entered Kentucky. They 
destroyed a large amount of property, depopulated 
settlements, and killed or captured over a hundred 
people. A detachment of Clarke's force under 
Colonel Laughrey, while passing a sand-bar on 
their way down the river, was suddenly attacked 
from both sides and almost annihilated — losing 
one hundred and ten men. 

Meanwhile Fort Jefferson, which the year before 
had been established near the mouth of the Ohio, 
was holding at bay with only thirty men, twelve 
hundred painted warriors After a three days' 
sieo-e re-enforcements reached them, the assailants 
were put to flight, and the isolated fort abandoned. 
Fort Nelson, the most formidable fortification in 
Kentucky, was begun at Louisville during the fall 
of this year. 

Early in 1782 hostilities commenced with in- 
creased fury. In March was fought the battle of 
Little Mountain, one of the fiercest on record ; in 
that border fight the combatants fought man to 
man, until a fourth of their number had fallen. 

On the sixteenth of August occurred the terrible 
battle of Blue Lick in which one hundred and eighty- 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 79 

two horsemen, rather than bear the reproach of 
being called cowards by a reckless comrade, rushed 
into a suspected ambush, and nearly half of them 
were slaughtered. Boone escaped, bearing off his 
wounded son, who died on the way. Netherland, 
previously suspected of cowardice, returned when 
beyond danger to defend his friends who were still 
in the river. Reynolds gave up his horse to 
the wounded Captain Patterson ; he was captured 
by the Indians, but finally made his escape, and 
was rewarded for his self-sacrifice with two hun- 
dred acres of land. In this battle the flower of 
Kentucky fell. Many widows and orphans were 
left unprotected ; — twenty-three widows attend- 
ing court at Logan's Station at one time to 
administer on their husbands' estates. 

Emboldened by their success, the Indians be- 
came even more active in assault than before. Men 
were shot down while hunting; families were mur- 
dered while asleep, and a general sense of insecurity 
prevailed. This however resulted in weeding out 
from the population the cowards and the weak- 
lings who fled the fearful country, until only men 
of courage and resolution remained. 

Kentucky bore her part in the Revolution, 
but the end brought her neither peace nor inde- 
pendence. Her bitter warfare with the savages 
continued ; a vast wilderness lay between her 



8o THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

and her seat of government, and left her almost 
lawless. 

The spring of i 784 again found Edmund Cabell 
journeying toward the wilderness, but this time he 
went accompanied by a long train, including three 
hundred people. Many trains had passed that 
way during the preceding year; the population of 
Kentucky had increased in twelve months from 
twelve thousand to thirty thousand. The passage 
upon the Ohio had become more dangerous than 
the journey by land. Cowardly captives had been 
used as decoys, their cries of distress bringing the 
whites to their rescue and to their own captivity 
or death. 

The caravan has paused for the noon lunch. 
There is Cabell in his uniform of blue, looking 
more important, but no less sensible, than of yore. 
He is engaged in conversation with a roughly- 
dressed, middle-aged man, whose pale, finely-chis- 
eled features wear an indefinable look of cruelty. 
The incongruity of the delicate face and fierce 
expression both interests and irritates Cabell. It 
is like an exquisite painting of an unworthy sub- 
ject. His name is Westlake, and he claims to be 
descended from a noble English family. He is of 
no occupation and ranks little higher in Cabell's 
estimation than his friend, the peddler, that moon- 
faced man seated on a log near by, who during 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 8 1 

the intervals in their journeying, drives a thriving 
trade among the emigrants. 

But the real object of Cabell's interest, possibly, 
is the daughter, who at present is roasting a piece 
of venison before the fire. The girl is young and 
pretty, like a lovely flower one finds unexpectedly 
in the w^oods. More interested in the fine young 
officer than in her cookery, the girl, in turning to 
see if he is observing her, suddenly drops the steak 
into the ashes. "Dolly!" shrieks her father, 
whose thoughts are bent upon his dinner, "just see 
what you've done ! " And he struck her fiercely. 

Dolly threw her apron over her face and began 
to sob, unmindful of the burning meat. " Pick it 
up," cried the man with an oath. " Yesterday you 
burnt the potatoes, to-day it's the meat. Who 
could stand such a creature ! " and he added a 
few more oaths. 

" The man is possessed ! He is not responsible," 
thought Cabell, whose longing for easy relations 
with his fellow-creatures often induced unwarrant- 
able leniency, and usually ended in unwarrantable 
harshness. Indeed, the fierce eyes and white face 
had a wild look. Cabell hurriedly took his leave. 

There were several army officers in the party. 
There were gentlemen, educated and uneducated ; 
there were roughs — some claiming high descent, 
others claiming no descent at all. There were 



8 2 THE CO UNTY OF KENT I CK 3 ; 

COWS and horses; oxen, mules, pigs, pack-horses 
and covered wagons. Day after day the long 
train crept slowly through the wilderness, like a 
huge serpent crawling toward its lair. 

Daily Cabell paused for a few words with West- 
lake and his friend Scraper the peddler, who was 
evidently wooing Westlake's fair daughter. As 
evidently he was regarded with more favor by the 
father than by the pretty Dolly. The girl's only 
hope of the future had been to marry the peddler 
and go on all her days cooking for him and her 
father; but now she began to have vague visions 
of an indefinite holiday with nice dresses, a rose- 
embowered cottage and (for nothing seemed im- 
possible to this masterful young man whom every 
one seemed to obey) perhaps even real glass in the 
windows. As these fine fancies did not tend to 
improve Dolly's culinary efforts she was occasion- 
ally soundly cuffed for burned meat and potatoes 
and so life had its shady streaks. 

Cabell disliked Westlake even more than he did 
Scraper; soon he began to distrust him. "Did 
you ever happen to meet a man by the name of 
Tuggs t " Westlake asked him one day. " He went 
to Kentucky in '75, I heard." 

"Yes," returned Cabell, and not caring to make 
a confidant of this man, added ; " I knew very little 
about him." 



THE COUNTY OF KEXTUCKY. 



83 



" ,1 cousin o' mine kiiowecl liini," said Wcstlakc, 
with a sly glance. " Thought him a }nn-ty smart 
sort o' feller, too." 

As Hc^llv's liking for Cabell increased, that of 
her father and the peddler seemed to diminish, until 
at lenq-th the false harmony of the unconq-enial 
group was broken by a trivial disagreement. 

" It's cur'us," Westlake said one day as they sat 
on a log — Westlake, as usual, smoking a pipe — 
" it's cur'us what rediklous notions some o' vo' 
book-men git into they heads. "Pother da\- I heard 
o\\^ o' them officers a-beatin' Jim P>rry down that 
the worl' turned round everyday. Ha! ha!" 

" Turned rouiid ! " exclaimed Cabell with a stare. 

" Yes, sir ; t u r n e d 
round ! I like to died 
a-laughin"." \\t 

"Well, it does." 

" Turn round ? " with ^, ' 
a smile of pity. " Turn 
numd ! " with an omi- 
nous glare. " Anybody / 
with three grains o' 1 
sense knows better'n 
tliat. Can't I see.'' 
I hnv could we stick on 
tlie under side ? Any 
man that b'lie\-es such 




84 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

trumpery's an idiot." And angry red spors began 
to flare out on the white face. Cabell retreated 
in good order, thereafter refraining from exposing 
himself to such attacks. 

One . moonlight night, as he hurriedly passed 
Westlake's wagon, he heard Dolly softly call his 
name. " You mus'n't mind what pap says," and 
her voice trembled slightly, " he's so cross to me ; 
and I hev to stand it, day in an' day out. I git so 
tired sometimes. I'm most ready to die," and she 
began to sob. 

The curly head, thrust out at the torn place in 
the wagon-covering, locked very pretty in the moon- 
light. Poor child ! Hers was indeed a thankless 
servitude. He said a few kindly words and passed 
on, neither dreaming how soon she was to be re- 
leased from the hated "servitude." The very next 
day while hunting alone in the woods Westlake 
was shot by a wandering party of Indians. 

No one, not even Scraper, knew anything about 
Westlake's previous history or his destination. 
Dolly knew that her " Uncle Jeems " had a home 
ready for them somewhere, she did not know 
exactly where. The dead man was buried, Dolly 
was placed in the care of a family who were going 
to Harrodsburg, and the party moved on. 

When Cabell reached Boonesboro' he found the 
tract of land he had purchased from Henderson 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 85 

and Company occupied by another party, who said 
he had bought it of a man named Tuggs. As 
Tuggs could not be found, the only alternative was 
to sue the man in possession. Already courts of 
justice were established, and there were numerous 
attornies who had all they could do, too, in settling 
land claims. The Virginia land-office system which 
permitted settlers to locate on any unoccupied lands 
and settle their own boundaries, kept up a perpet- 
ual legal warfare, some ot which has endured even 
to the present day. 

As a rule they were an order-loving people, in- 
heriting political tastes from generations of law- 
makers. They kept up a fair show of government, 
though every man was a law unto himself, and 
Public Opinion ruled over each with an iron rod. 

Very few of the settlers of 1775 remained. 
Colonel Floyd, the attractive, well-bred gentleman, 
brave Captain Estill, Squire Boone, the intrepid 
hunter-preacher — each had been killed by the 
Indians. Also the Reverend John Lythe of the 
Episcopal church, Colonel John Todd, and numer- 
ous other highly-esteemed citizens. There still 
remained the generous, kindly Harrod, the reso- 
lute Daniel Boone and the dauntless Kenton. 
Clarke, too, was there ; but his early brilliancy had 
faded. The failure through no fault of his, of his 
expedition against Detroit, had lost him the fickle 



86 THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 

popular favor. This was always his greatest stim- 
ulus, and after his discharge from the service in 
1782 a sense of injustice and wrong seemed to 
weigh upon his mind, helping to sap his energies 
and diminish his resolution. From this time for- 
ward he took but little part in the history of the 
Kentucky people. 

The vast tide of emigration which had set in at 
the first note of peace in 1781 served to push the 
pioneers more and more into the background, until 
finally nearly all were swept out of the State. 

Cabell sold his military land-grant and bought 
a tract near Lexino^ton. This had srrown to a town 
of nearly a thousand inhabitants. He had brought 
two slaves with him, and at the earliest oppor- 
tunity he bought two more. After the glory of 
the battle-field and the chase, hoeing corn was 
intolerable. He built a large log-house of four 
rooms with a long hall running through the centre, 
roofed with hand-made walnut shingles. In the 
fall he went over to Harrodsburg and married 
Dolly Westlake, whose " Uncle Jeems " had never 
turned up. 

Dolly wore a cottonade dress and a white ker- 
chief which was fastened around her neck with a 
gorgeous green glass pin. It was her best; she 
would have worn more finery if she had possessed 
any. Far from appreciating Cabell's delicacy in 



THE COUNTY OF KENTUCKY. 87 

appearing in the usual hunting garb of buckskin 
trousers and flannel shirt, Dolly was grievously 
disappointed that he did not wear liis gorgeous vel- 
vet coat, embroidered satin waistcoat, lace ruffles 
and silver shoe-buckles. And when he preferred 
to spend the evening of his wedding-day talking 
with Colonel Harrod and other old acquaintances, 
instead of going to the feast and dance given in 
honor of the occasion at the bio^orest house in the 
town, Dolly was almost offended. 

It did seem a little odd, it must be confessed ; 
even the calm-faced moon and stars looked down 
in wide-eyed amazement at this serious young bride- 
groom sitting by the fire, talking over political mat- 
ters with a lot of old men while his blooming bride 
went to the marriage-feast with the rejected suit- 
ors — for Dolly had been very popular at the 
station. 

The following day Dolly was taken to her new 
home. The windows had small panes of greenish 
glass in them ; roses were growing against the 
sides of the house, and the housekeeping began. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 




HE first History of 
Kentucky was written 
by John Filson and 
published by James 
Adams of Wihning- 
ton, Delaware. It ap- 
peared in 1784. The 
map accompanying it 
was a remarkable pro- 
d u c t i o n considering 
the few facilities and the many dangers attending 
the collection of material. This map has been re- 
published in the Duerrett's Life of John Filson.* 
Upon it appear the towns of Louisville, Lexington, 
Danville, Bardstown, Harrodsburg, Boonesboro', 
Greenville, Leestown, and over forty " stations." 

Lexins^ton and Danville were the leadinq; towns 
in wealth and culture ; Harrodsburg came third, and 
fourth in importance, Louisville, located on two 
thousand acres granted by the royal Government to 

* The Life of John Filson, by R. T. Duerrett (Louisville, 18S4), was the initial number 
of the Filson Club Series of publications on Kentucky History. 

S3 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 89 

John Connolly for services in the French and Indian 
war, and " escheated " by a Lexington jury because 
of the owner's activity in the English service. It 
had then barely two hundred inhabitants. 

Four years after the publication of his history, 
the chequered career of Filson was brought to an 
untimely close by the inevitable tomahawk. He 
had just assisted in founding the town of Cincin- 
nati, and had named it Losantiville. Starting to 
join a surveying party, he disappeared in the woods 
never to return. 

In 1785 a convention met at Danville, firmly re- 
solved on separation from Virginia. The members 
were all men of intelligence, well-instructed in legis- 
lative lore and they prudently referred their rather 
truculent resolutions to another and larger conven- 
tion, by which, in due time, they were confirmed. 

It was well they had resolved on patience as well 
as persistence, for six years passed away before 
Virginia could see her way clear to grant a separa- 
tion. And Congress was too busy wrangling over 
the Constitution to heed the little colony knocking 
at its doors. 

In this Constitution, Kentucky, though an un- 
recognized fragment, was as deeply interested as 
any of them ; like the others she had her doubts. 
The penurious objected to the regular collection of 
taxes ; the lawless feared interference with their 



90 THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

personal liberty; only the better class recognized 
in the law a friendly wall, shutting out the evil-doer. 
But the chief objection was that it condemned State 
independence. Why put themselves into the hands 
of a scheming set of politicians, who, for aught they 
knew, might manage to sit perpetually } 

Jefferson, Kentucky's best friend, only half ap- 
proved it, men said. Hadn't the very men who 
framed this new code of laws fought over it 
themselves } Who knew what tyranny it might 
hold .f* Franklin, it had been hinted in New York, 
was in his dotage ; Randolph, though an adept in 
pulling down, had never been conspicuous in build- 
ing up. Hamilton and Madison were visionary 
young upstarts, and Washington — a fine soldier 
doubtless, but no politician ! 

A standing army, indeed ! Only tyrants had 
need of standing armies. What do those Eastern 
people care for us, any way } Kentuckians argued. 
Hadn't John Jay proposed to barter away for 
twenty-five years the right of navigation of the 
Mississippi in exchange for a favorable commercial 
treaty with Spain.? The Mississippi is ours and 
the Government ought to demand from Spain its 
free navigation. Is it a craven fear that Spain 
will unite with England and whip the Americans } 
or is it mere indifference to the vital interests of 
the W^est, that holds them back 1 Either was 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 9 1 

equally bad in the eyes of a Kentuckian. In her 
long isolation and self-dependence Kentucky had 
grown even more Democratic than Virginia. 

In 1786 a treaty of peace brought a slight lull in 
Indian depredation. Of this treaty there are num- 
erous conflicting accounts. General George Rogers 
Clarke, General Richard Butler and Col. R. H. 
Parsons joined in the negotiations, and by their 
skill and courage, it is believed, averted a bloody 
war. General Clarke bore the leading part. 

But the murder of an Indian by a vicious white 
man put an immediate end to all friendly relations 
between the races ; the old barbarities were re- 
sumed. Throughout '^'] and '^'i ceaseless enmity 
and warfare ensued. Scarcely a day passed that 
there was not some new tale of horror to relate. 

It is easy for the inhabitants of this peaceful, 
luxurious land to sit in judgment on the pioneers 
who bought the land with their blood and with 
the blood of their best beloved. Beside the dismal 
and depressing task of subduing the earth — break- 
ing the thick turf, felling vast forests, hewing paths 
through impenetrable thickets with only the rudest 
weapons, the body sustained by the coarsest food 
and clad in the roughest clothes — there was the 
ever-present dread of sudden death. For the In- 
dian's favorite method of warfare was to steal in at 
the serenest hour and let none escape. 



92 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 



" You should not have driven the Indian away 
from his lands," says the righteous judge of to-day. 
" When he smote you on one cheek, you should 
have turned the other. Poor fellow ! He was only 
avenging the murder of his brother by some white 
man, according to the traditions of his race." 




^ ^^rintinsj-jouse^ 

^ in Kentucky. ^ 

Office °ff\ -^ ^ 



Helen Hunt Jackson's " Century of Dishonor" 
is an eloquent book. It was well that such a 
volume was written. Mr. Brooks's later "Story 
of the American Indian " is a sad but moving tale. 
We cannot have too much of the truth ; too few of 
us fully realize how cruelly the Indian was often 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 93 

treated ; not only by his white brother, but by the 
Government which had promised to protect and 
care for him. In the sad treaty speeches of the 
slowly decreasing red men their evident premoni- 
tion of coming decline and extinction would touch 
the hardest heart. True, other races have gone 
the same way. The poor Philistines and Canaan- 
ites, the Goths and Vandals, the Parthians and 
Huns, all reached their summit and descended 
helplessly on the other side ; a fate which, for aught 
we know, may be lying in wait for us farther on. 

Yet had we lived in those trying times of indis- 
criminate butchery, we, too, perhaps, might have 
been more deeply stirred by the murder of parents 
or children, than by even the extinction of a race. 
So, while we pity the untaught, hardly-used Indian, 
let us also pity the sorely-beset pioneer who, 
however roughly, smoothed the way for us. Few 
of them reaped any reward for their labors. 

The Kentuckians' struggle with the Indians was 
scarcely more strenuous than that with the Gov- 
ernment. In 1789 we still find them resolving to 
be free ; petitioning Congress for admission into 
the Union, and demanding the free navigation of 
the Mississippi. Great dissatisfaction prevailed, 
industriously cultivated by General Wilkinson 
and a few other political agitators, who craved a 
sensation and increased their personal notoriety. ^ 



94 THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

Letters were circulated breathing defiance against 
the Government and hintingr at an alliance with 
Spain, or England. Articles of the same tone 
crept into the Kentucky Gazette,* which had been 
established in '']'] for the purpose of " insuring 
unanimity in the opinions of the people respecting 
the separation from Virginia." 

In view of the negligent and dilatory way in 
which questions that were of vital importance to 
them had been treated by the Eastern authorities, it 
is not to be wondered at that they should be dissatis- 
fied. And when John Jay of New York, Secretary 
of State, proposed the session of their right in the 
Mississippi to Spain, when seven Northern States 
voted for it — to Spain, who seized every craft that 
ventured on that stream, confiscated its cargo, and 
imprisoned every man she could lay hands on — 
who could blame the Kentuckians for feeling 
aororrieved and resentful } 

What did Congress mean by wanting to lock 
them in and give their enemy the key } 

Long afterward they learned how much better 
Mr. Jay understood the Spanish Government than 
they themselves; schooled by his years of official 
connection with Spain he had foreseen the long 
and bitter struggle which must have followed any 

* This pioneer iie\vsi)aper of the West was published by Jolm Bradford and his sons, 
Daniel and Fielding, until 1840; when it was bought by Jo«lnm Cunningham of Louisville, 
and continued until 1S4S, when its publication was discontinued. 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 95 

such demands ; a struggle for which they were but 
ill-prepared. They learned, too, that Washington, 
Henry Lee and other statesmen had hoped, by 
temporary separation from the South and West, to 
draw Kentucky — estranged from long neglect — 
into closer relations with the Atlantic States. 

The Kentuckians met again in convention at 
Danville, and passed more resolutions; this time 
relative to forming an independent government. 
Mr. John Brown, an educated Virginia gentleman, 
had been appointed a delegate to Congress ; he was 
the first and only one from Kentucky before the 
adoption of the Federal Constitution. He wrote 
to Judges Muter and McDowell that there was 
little hope at present of Kentucky's admission into 
the Union ; the Spanish .Minister, he said, had 
offered Kentucky the free navigation of the Missis- 
sippi if she would form herself into an independent 
government. Otherwise they were assured it could 
never be orranted. 

This offer Judge Muter believed to have been 
made at the suggestion of General Wilkinson. The 
general had recently returned, in great state, from 
New Orleans, " riding in a chariot drawn by four 
horses and accompanied by several servants." He 
had taken much credit to himself for having secured 
permission to sell produce in the South. By vague 
threats and exaggerated representation of the blood- 



96 THE STATE OE KENTUCKY. 

thirsty character of the Kentuckians, and of his 
own influence over them, he had secured for him- 
self the freedom of the river, and had opened a 
regular and profitable traffic with New Orleans. 
As he bought tobacco by the hundred weight at 
two dollars and sold it in New Orleans for nine 
dollars and fifty cents it is easy to see how General 
Wilkinson was enabled to " set up an ostentatious 
establishment and dispense a lavish hospitality." 

Colonel Thomas Marshall and Judge Muter both 
charged General Wilkinson, who urged the forma- 
tion of a separate government, with illegal relations 
with the Spanish authorities, and Judge Muter 
addressed a letter to the Kentucky Gazette warn- 
ing the people of the treasonable nature of such a 
proceeding. Nothing could be done, he assured 
them, against the wishes of Virginia, of which 
State they were still a part, without rendering 
themselves liable to the charge of high treason. 

As Judge Muter was chief justice of the district 
this statement of the case drew the party line. A 
majority of the legal fraternity declared in favor 
of " violent separation," and became known as the 
" court party," while the other side took the name 
of " country party." The leaders of the " court 
party" were Wilkinson, Brown, Sebastian and Innes; 
of the " country party " Marshall, Muter, Crockett 
and Edwards. 



THE STATE OE KENTUCKY. 97 

About this time Connolly, coming to Louisville 
to inquire about his " escheated " lands, was repre- 
sented by Wilkinson, whom he visited, as an English 
spy who, hearing of the disaffection in Kentucky, 
had come with advantageous offers from the Eng- 
lish Government. Wilkinson's previous misrepre- 
sentations however, had tended to weaken popular 
faith in this statement, and no one seemed entirely 
assured of the real nature of Connolly's visitation. 
At any rate it was barren of obvious results, per- 
sonal or official. 

On the fourth clay of February, 1 791, Congress 
passed an act admitting Kentucky into the Union 
as a State ; her long struggle for independence was 
ended, and the " court " and " country " parties 
ceased to exist. General Wilkinson was afterward 
appointed lieutenant-colonel in the army ("because," 
so Mr. Marshall tells us, " his employment by the 
Government was necessary to public safety "), and 
Mr. Brown was continued in the United States 
Senate for eighteen years. It would therefore 
seem that their " treasonable views " were not 
seriously considered by either the people or the 
Government. Indeed, Mr. Brown was fully exon- 
erated by his friend Mr. Madison. 

Danville seems to have been at this time the 
political centre of the State. All of the ten con- 
ventions relatintr to the formation of the State were 



98 THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

held at Danville. The record of the Political Club 
which met there from 1786 to 1790 would compare 
favorably with that of any club of the present day; 
exhibiting a remarkable intelligence and knowl- 
edge of statescraft, considering the conditions under 
which it existed. 

On May 3, 1792, Isaac Shelby, "the declared 
governor," passed through Danville on his way to 
Lexington. At that place on the following day, 
the machinery of Kentucky's State Government 
was formally set in motion, with A. S. Bullitt 
President of the Senate and Robert Brecken ridge 
Speaker of the House. 

The first General Assembly met at Lexington, 
June 4, 1792. On December 5 Frankfort was se- 
lected as the most desirable place for the seat of 
government. It was a picturesque little city nestled 
down among the green encircling hills, and sur- 
rounded by a scenery that has attracted the atten- 
tion of distinguished poets and artists at home and 
abroad. 

All this time the tomahawk and firebrand flour- 
ished industriously. But have not we had enough 
of war.f* We will pass by Harmar's fruitless expe- 
dition, the destructive campaign of Wilkinson 
(through which the savages lost their villages and 
crops, and were reduced to a state of destitution 
terrible to contemplate), and the yet more fearful 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 99 

retaliation of the exasperated Indians who fell upon 
St. Clair's army sent to exterminate them, with a 
fury which nearly swept away his entire force 
and threw the whole country into mourning for 
the brave six hundred who perished. 

Neither were the old Indian fighters, Kenton, 
Logston, Boone and other prominent men idle. 
Kenton had become captain of a company and did 
good service in defense of his State. General 
Logan, too, Harry Innes and Isaac Shelby had each 
been most active in the military movements of the 
State. But Cabell, though he readily took part in 
any necessary defense, sought no official position, 
either military or civil. Quiet distaste for the smil- 
ing office-seeker was a traditional family trait. In 
politics he had taken part with the " country party." 

We have no means of determinino^ Cabell's state 
of mind after the discovery (which must soon have 
come) of the mental inferiority of the wife he had 
picked up in the wilderness. Her mind was hope- 
lessly choked by trivial thoughts and low aspira- 
tions, and he must have spent many tedious hours 
in the vain effort to displace the worthless trumpery 
with better things. Dolly had not "turned out" 
an entirely satisfactory helpmeet; but there was no 
thought of the divorce courts. He had taken her 
for better or for worse. 

Poor Dolly ! a rose-draped cottage with real glass 



lOO THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

windows had not made of life the hoHday which 
she had expected. The old roving gypsy life was 
more agreeable by far than was this lonely exist- 
ence in the wilderness facing the ever-present pros- 
pect of sudden and violent death. 

There was nothing of the Westlake race in the 
two children, for which mercy Cabell thanked 
heaven daily; unless, possibly, in Freddie's strange 
cruelty to pets. Now and then, too, he caught a 
familiar look, a certain sullen, lowering expression 
which puzzled and distressed him. But the little 
Augusta, so startlingly like his own father, was 
courageous as well as tender-hearted, and would 
always rescue the tortured pets, not minding her 
brother's angry blows. If she had met an Indian 
in the woods, Cabell doubted not she would have 
stamped her foot imperiously and exclaimed : " In- 
dian ! what you doin' in our woods .f* Go straight 
home! " 

" The children take after me in one pe'tickler," 
said Dolly complacently ; " they can't abide a book." 
It was one of Dolly's grievances that Cabell was 
" always poking over a book." He had brought a 
few with him, and had borrowed all he could find. 

We have found, from the first, a few men of re- 
finement and culture. Doubtless their wives and 
daughters were not far behind them, though they 
have left no record in letters or diary, and are sel-* 




CABELL S COTTAGE. 



THE STATE OE KENTUCKY. 103 

dom mentioned, except as one, now and then, took 
a courageous part in an Indian fight. Doubtless 
they too knew of Hamlet, The Faerie Oueene, 
Bacon's Essays and the Spectator, or at least of 
Robinson Crusoe, Pilgrim's Progress and Saint's 
Rest — books which their fathers and husbands 
read with such keen zest. 

Dolly, however, could see no good in books. 
You might as well have tried to explain the beau- 
ties of the Parthenon frieze to the crow who built 
her nest under the eaves, as to try to make Dolly 
see any virtue in book-learning. " Pap' got through 
the worl' without it, an' they ain't no use in bein' 
any better'n pap." " Pap's " faults had, happily, 
been buried with him. " Uncle Jeems," to Cabell's 
unspeakable relief, had never turned up. 

But one day, coming home unexpectedly, he 
caught a glimpse of a man leaving the house hur- 
riedly, and Dolly's face at the window wore an 
anxious look. Dolly's ideas of veracity he had dis- 
covered, did not accord with his own, therefore he 
decided to investigate for himself. As the fufritive 
was lame, it was not long before Cabell had him 
fast. But at his first glimpse of that dogged coun- 
tenance he released his hold. It was Tuggs. 

No word was spoken until Tuggs began to make 
off, when Cabell raised his gun : " If you move 
another step I'll shoot you ! " 



I04 THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

"Don't shoot," cried Tuggs, pale with fear; 
" I'm Dolly's uncle — a poor dyin' cripple ! I ain't 
done you fair, but I've suffered fer it. And I'll 
make it all up to you. Yes, I'm Jeems Westlake 
— a poor hunted wretch. You w^ouldn't let your 
wife's uncle be took to jail ? An' I didn't do it, 
nohow. Dolly knows me, and Dolly knows I 
wouldn't kill nobody." 

Cabell had dropped his pistol and stood staring 
at Tuggs with gleaming eyes. If ever a creature 
deserved to be shot, it was Tuggs. A serpent, a 
soulless beast ! But by what authority dared he 
execute judgment on a fellow creature whom God 
allowed to live in his sins.? And he was the long- 
expected " Uncle Jeems." The Westlake " mark " 
was only too apparent now. An icy thrill crept 
along Cabell's veins as he recognized in the face 
before him somewhat of the features and look of 
his own boy Freddie. 

O yes ! a murderer, he had no doubt. An out- 
law and a criminal to the very marrow. 

Sick and dizzy, he turned away. " Come to the 
house," he said, steadying himself with a great 
effort. He could not all at once see his real 
duty. But the man was ill ; his face showed lines 
of real suffering. A creature of the lowest type, 
a very viper, but even the Lord of the heavens Is 
no respecter of persons. 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 105 

Never had Dolly seemed so dear to Cabell as 
when, beaming on them from the doorway, she 
cried out triumphantly, " I told Uncle Jeems you'd 
fergive him ; but he wouldn't b'lieve me ! Don't 
you see how much Freddie favors him? " 

It was an assurance of rectitude which Cabell 
sorely needed to hold him steady to a course blindly 
chosen in the dark ; which he continually needed 
in the ensuing dreadful days when Tuggs sat by 
his fireside and the boy Freddie gave daily evi- 
dence of moral as well as physical resemblance to 
that repulsive nature. 

Unhappy child ! Was there no antidote to this 
poison in his veins? Suddenly, as he prayed, a 
light shone in upon his soul. " For even the chief 
of sinners " there was a glorious hope. 

Thereafter every spare moment was spent in 
reading the Book of books to his children; in ex- 
plaining in his most winning tones how the King 
of Glory came and dwelt humbly in the midst of 
darkness, that even the vilest sinner might have 
the great light to walk by. And the look of won- 
dering interest with which Dolly, and even " Uncle 
Jeems," listened, showed Cabell how much he had 
been to blame for hiding away so long the pre- 
cious light. 

But when he heard Dolly clumsily echoing his 
counsel to his boy, and even Tuggs trying pitifully 



I06 THE STATE OE KENTUCKY. 

to grope after him, and to help the little Freddie, 
he could have wept tears of gratitude at his narrow 
escape from an awful crime. 

Three months afterward Cabell received a sum- 
mons home. His mother was dangerously ill and 
wanted to see her son once more. Leaving his 
family at the fort and his farm in charge of an 
overseer, he hastened to her bedside. She was 
still alive, and for weeks hovered on the brink of 
the unknown. Cabell wrote to Dolly and to his 
friend Harrod soon after his arrival, and in due 
time received a reply, dictated by Harrod. 

" Your family have left the fort," ran the letter ; 
"an officer came to arrest Jim Westlake for killin' 
a man at Philadelfy in '74. Westlake come to me 
and says, 'Shoot me, for I'm tired of livin',' and 
for the sake of Dolly and the children he didn't 
want to be hung. ' What,' I says, says I ; ' and get 
hung myself? No, sir,' says I, ' I can't run nosech 
resk for no man. But I can hide him,' says I, 'and 
tell the officers he was done gone over to Boones- 
boro'. Next day they all went back to the farm. 
Dolly says there's palisades all round the house 
and the overseer and niggers. Dolly says if we 
can't keep the blamed Indians off we ought to be 
killed." 

Cabell wrote back imperatively that his family 
were to return to the fort at once. If " Uncle 



THE STATE OE KENTUCKY. 107 

Jeems" wanted to stay at the farm he could do so. 
In a couple of weeks he followed the letter. His 
mother, to every one's surprise, was on the road to 
recovery. 

Three weeks were consumed in the journey. 
With him were two French gentlemen, rather shabby 
as to clothes, but very grand as to deportment. 
They spoke very broken English and were indiffer- 
ently mounted, but the cultured accent and a cer- 
tain suave graciousness of manner caused every one 
to recognize in them aristocratic refugees from the 
storm then sweeping France from end to end. 

In 1775, when Kentucky was planting her foun- 
dation stones, the hunger-stricken drudges of France 
asked their lords for bread and were given " a brand- 
new gallows forty feet high." But the day at last 
had come when these downtrodden wretches had 
risen from their slush and rushed into history ; 
had risen in their wrath, and were smashing to 
pieces a government which gave to one class all 
luxury, learning and leisure, to the other servi- 
tude, stupidity and squalor. In the great upheaval 
which ensued all that was bad came to the sur- 
face. France threw aside her cloak of piety — for 
a Ions: while her reliction had been a mere cloak 
for corruption and wickedness — and now revelled 
in a wild carnival of riot and bloodshed. Chris- 
tianity was abolished by law, and a "goddess of 



Io8 THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

Reason " (the quality of which they possessed the 
least) substituted in its stead. Above the cemetery 
gates was written, " Death is an eternal sleep." 

Upon this storm arose that slender, silent, fiery 
figure, Napoleon Bonaparte. It grew while it 
lasted to such startling proportions, then sank like 
a meteor that is spent. 

In the reign of terror which ensued eminent 
men, refined women, innocent children were dragged 
from their homes and brutally murdered. The king- 
would have allayed the storm at any sacrifice. He 
meant well, but he had neither nerve nor brain to 
meet the crisis. Then he too fell. And so he per- 
ished ! a martyr, some historians tell us, to the cause 
of American liberty, whose success had inspired 
the uprising of his own people. 

Many noblemen fled to America where Lafayette 
had made the class popular. Among these, some 
years later, came the Prince Louis Philippe, after- 
ward King of France. A friend had started a 
small school at Bardstown. This school afterward, 
under the auspices of the celebrated Bishop Flaget, 
developed into St. Joseph's College, and grew to be 
one of the important seats of education in the State. 
Here, in a building yet standing on the college 
grounds, the prince taught school for several 
months; in memory of which, when he was King 
of France, he sent the church a sweet-toned bell 



THE STATE OE KENTUCKY. 



1 09 



bearing the royal coat of arms and the two paint- 
ings, " The Crucifixion," by Van Bre of Antwerp 
and "St. Francis," by Van Dyke. The paintincrs 
were subsequently demanded in Europe as belong- 
ing to the Conservatory of pictures by the old 
masters, but the Pope settled the question in 
favor of the church at Bardstown. 

The names of Cabell's companions are not known 
at the present day. They have merely come down 
to us as two noblemen of France. After their lona 
and perilous journey through the wilderness we 
may safely picture their satisfaction upon being told 
that their journey was almost at an end. Soo^ii the 
house, with roses growing against the sides, would 
burst upon their view. 
Ah! how pleasant it 
was to have a home, 
even in the wilderness. 
But, what is this.? 
Cabell stares with di- 
lated eyes, and his face 
suddenly blanches. 
Where is the house.? 
Surely he has not mis- 
taken the way. No 
there is the orchard 



two 



the garden, the 

tall elms standing like 




DESOLATION. 



no THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

sentinels on guard. Wretched guard ! where is 
that so sacredly entrusted to your keeping? No 
traces of a house are to be seen. Instead are 
three or four men strolling about in a desultory 
fashion, picking up nails and bits of broken pottery 
from a pile of ashes. 

In a very short time he knows all. Wife, chil- 
dren, home, all gone. It is no strange thing that 
has happened to him. The same had happened to 
many others. A hard blow, it is true ; a crash 
rather. But he must bear it patiently. Others 
before him had borne it. 

Cabell refused to return to the fort that night. 

He would stay and watch for the fiends who 
had done all this. They might still be prowling 
around. No, he wanted no companion. Would 
some friend kindly take charge of the two strange 
gentlemen whom he had hoped to entertain ? 
They, too, had lost home and friends. 

And so he was left alone. 

For three days he lingered around the ruins of 
his home, but the savages did not return. Was 
this the same world ? The sun still rose in golden 
glory and set in purple splendor; the moon and 
stars still held magnificent court; flowers bloomed, 
trees tossed their proud heads, the river sparkled 
on. Cruel Mother Nature, have you no heart } 

On the morning of the fourth day as Cabell sat 



THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. I I i 

listlessly on a log, he was startled into life by the 
sound of hasty footsteps. He kept perfectly mo- 
tionless. It was not the usual stealthy footstep of 
the Indian ; still, it might be one fleeing hot pursuit. 

In a few minutes, to his amazement, Sam, his 
favorite slave, stood before him. " Miss Gussie's 
saved, Mas' Edmund ! " he cried. " Little Miss is 
alive ! " 

Then he told his story. The attack had been 
made in the night. The weather was hot and Sam 
had slept on a pile of new-mown hay on the edge of 
the woods. When he awoke the house was in 
flames. All the family were inside, with doors and 
windows barred. But soon the windows were broken 
in, and he could see Tuggs and Dolly and Freddie, 
all fighting with all their might. He saw Dolly 
and Freddie fall, then Tuggs, still fighting like a 
hero. Then the Indians came pouring out, carry- 
ing furniture and dishes, and one with Augusta, 
who looked bewildered, as if just awakened. The 
savage put the child down, not far from where 
Sam lay concealed, and rushed back for more 
plunder. Sam seized the child and escaped into 
the woods. He ran until daylight and then, con- 
cealing Augusta among the leafy branches of a 
fallen tree, he gathered berries and roots to keep 
them from starving, hiding himself at every sound. 
The following night he lost his way, and only 



112 THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. 

reached the fort with Augusta the evening before, 
having spent three nights wandering in the woods, 
Augusta was now at the fort. 

"Sam," said Cabell, " I brought your father and 
mother and Maria from Virginia. They are with 
the wagons." 

" Yes, seh. Thankee, seh. I knowed you'd do 
it, seh, kase you said you would, seh. I'se mighty 
sorry, seh" — Sam broke down and hurried away, 
lest by loss of self-control he should offend his 
master. 

Ah, yes, no wonder those old pioneers had a 
"taint of melancholy " in their natures. They were 
free ; they were lords of the soil ; but loneliness 
and solitude and isolation reigned with them. 
The vast, high-towering forests were grand indeed, 
but Death lurked there, patient, vigilant, remorse- 
less. Verily, no one knew his day or hour. 

Fitly named Ken-tuck-ee ! — " Bloody battle 
orround." 



CHAPTER V. 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 




7\JHE new State ojovern- 
ment was formed on 
( a more democratic ba- 
"«/ sis than tliat of the 
I mother State. The 
governor, senate and 
|/il'^ judiciary, however, 
were appointed by 
.^ves^'s electors ; the latter 
holdino- office "durins: 
good behavior." This was, we are told, a necessary 
provision against the action of local prejudice in 
legislative settlement of land titles ; Kentucky was 
"shingled over with title-deeds over-lapping each 
other, and occasioning continual feuds over boun- 
daries," a legal warfare as fierce as that of rival 
Indian tribes over the great hunting ground. 

The State Constitution was merely an adaptation 
of the United States Constitution to the needs of 
the country, with a few additional clauses, such as 
a provision for " keeping separate Church and State " 



114 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

by rendering ministers of the gospel ineligible to 
office. There was an act "prohibiting the intro- 
duction of slaves into the State as merchandise ; " 
also one recommending provisional measures for 
emancipating slaves " under the limitation that 
they shall not become a charge on the county in 
which they reside." 

Even then many of these people whose patri- 
mony consisted largely in slaves, were seriously 
considering the practicability of gradual manumis- 
sion. Long ago they had discovered the sinister 
character of this institution bequeathed them by 
their fathers. 

There was no reference to public education. 
People of means had private teachers, or sent their 
sons and daughters to Eastern schools. The 
poorer class sent to the small " day school," where 
the three r's, " readin', ritin' an' 'rethmetic," were 
taught. 

In 1794 "Mad Anthony Wayne" and his 
"legion," among whom were one thousand six hun- 
dred mounted Kentuckians under General Scott, 
swept over the Indian territory. They burned 
villages, destroyed provisions, killed men, women 
and children, and planted impregnable fortresses 
in the very heart of the red-man's country. 

It was the hardest blow the savages had yet 
received ; there was nothimr left them but to ac- 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. I 15 

knowledge themselves defeated. In 1795 seven 
tribes whose hostility had been kept alive by the 
English, entered into a treaty of peace with Gen- 
eral Wayne at Greenville, Ohio, agreeing to bury 
the hatchet forever. 

Even the hardest heart must find something in- 
expressibly sad in the picture, involuntarily sug- 
gested to our minds, of this humbled, defeated peo- 
ple gathering up the fragments of their household 
treasures and slowly journeying westward, only to 
be driven, again and again, toward the setting sun. 

Soon the old pioneers, the great " Indian fight- 
ers," began to move westward, too. In 1797 (this 
date seems the most probable among the number 
given by various writers) Daniel Boone left Ken- 
tucky. When Cabell heard that his old friend was 
going away, he rode fifty miles to bid him good-by. 

" It's gittin' too crowded here," he said, when 
Cabell remonstrated with him. " There's good 
huntin' over on the Missoury, and nobody there 
but old hunters like me. I love the woods. There's 
too many clearin's, and too many settlers quarrelin' 
over the land, and too much law. Their ways ain't 
my ways. I want elbow room." 

The truth w^is, a sheriff had come and told 
Daniel Boone that he must move ; the land he was 
living on belonged to somebody else. He ad- 
dressed a memorial to the Legislature setting forth 



Il6 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

his claim to the land ; but there was a defect in 
the title and the Legislature could discover no way 
to remedy it. Yet if any one had earned a title to 
Kentucky, it was Daniel Boone. He had given 
his two sons, had suffered captivity and untold 
hardships, and spent the best of his life in her de- 
fense ; services which money could neither obtain 
nor repay. Yet there was not one foot of her 
ground he could call his own. 

That was why Kentucky was "getting too 
crowded for him." 

In 1845, however, Kentucky generously donated 
to Boone all the land he needed — six feet in the 
Frankfort cemetery. That he occupies at the 
present day. 

Logston, also, soon found the settlements grow- 
ing too thick, and moved to Illinois. In 1799 Ken- 
ton went to Ohio to live. All left poor. In 1824, 
when Kenton returned, old and destitute, he was 
received by the Legislature with the respect and 
honor due one of the heroes of the pioneer times, 
and a pension of twenty dollars a month was voted 
him. 

In 1803 very few of the party of 1775, besides 
Cabell, remained. Long ago Colonel Henderson 
had returned to his home in North Carolina, 
whence, in 1785, he had "gone to his own place." 
Harrod had been found dead in the woods in 1793, 



THE LITTLE CLOCW. 



117 



murdered, probably, by the Indians. Colonel 
Calloway had fallen in the same way, while hunt- 
ing alone in the wilderness. 

Cabell had sold his farm near Harrodsburg and 
bought another near Lexington. He had married 
again ; a gentle, but resolute and clear-headed young 
woman. He had built a grand house, modelled 




1 he Urcvve 



after the English manor-house, and surrounded 
by a large park of forest trees ; and though he 
kept clear of political ofifice — perhaps because he 
cared nothing for office — he became one of the 
leading men of the State, whose opinion was 
sought by all parties. 



Il8 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

Released from the perpetual fear of death, the 
country increased rapidly in wealth. In 1802, 
Michaux, the distinoruished French naturalist, 
"found nowhere in Kentucky a single family with- 
out plenty of meat, bread, milk and butter for food. 
The poorest man had always one or two horses, 
and it was very seldom a planter went on foot to 
see his neighbors." The wealthy families began to 
live more luxuriously, and, notwithstanding their 
eminently democratic principles, the craving to be 
thought of aristocratic lineage (a weakness not con- 
fined to crude civilization) began to manifest itself 
in its own peculiar way. 

Of the little town of Louisville it was written : 
" There is a circle, small 'tis true, but within whose 
magic round abounds every pleasure that wealth 
regulated by taste can bestow. There the 'red- 
heel ' of Versailles may imagine himself in the 
very emporium of fashion, and, whilst leading 
beauty through the mazes of the dance, forget that 
he is in the wilds of America." 

The French Republic at this time commanded 
the strongest sympathy of the people of Kentucky. 
When the treaty with Spain — the enemy of France 
— was announced, even though it gave to Kentuck- 
ians the long-coveted right to the navigation of the 
Mississippi River, the news, it is said, was received 
with "a burst of fury that knew no bounds." The 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. II9 

people regarding it "a base desertion of an ancient 
friend struggling with a host of enemies." 

In the meantime a tempting offer from the King 
of Spain had been under private consideration by 
some of the leading politicians of the State. For 
a small extension of his boundaries over the limit 
fixed by the United States, his Majesty offered 
them the Mississippi and one hundred thousand 
dollars to be used in securing the good will of the 
people. Also a good deal of artillery and other 
munitions of war. Judge Sebastian, of the court of 
appeals (who was secretly receiving a pension of 
two thousand dollars a year from Spain), was sup- 
posed to be the leader in this intrigue, though 
recently it has been discovered that Wilkinson, 
then stationed at Detroit and still holding his mili- 
tary command, was more deeply involved than even 
Sebastian. 

But the treaty overturned all their plans ; and 
the unraveling of the Burr sensation, three years 
later, brought both men to trial. Judge Sebastian 
was invited to resign his seat as judge of the court 
of appeals, and from that time lived in retirement. 
General Wilkinson was more expert in covering up 
his tracks ; only recent examination of the archives 
of Spain make it certain that he was, for many 
years, in the pay of both governments at the same 
time. 



I20 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

Judge Innes of the United States court, Colonel 
Nicholas and Colonel Murray, all men of high stand- 
ing, were also involved in this deplorable intrigue. 
These, with the lesser figures who have escaped 
mention, managed to free themselves from blame. 
And, indeed, they were less blamable than appears 
at the present day. The tie binding the States 
together was then new and regarded with not un- 
natural doubt and distrust. 

Their indignation had been deeply stirred against 
the alien and sedition laws recently enacted by the 
Federal Congress which threatened the precious 
personal freedom — of thought, of speech, of pen 
— for which they had fought so long. In their 
strong disapproval they had adopted the famous 
Resolutions of 1798, written by Jefferson and pre- 
sented in the Kentucky Legislature by John Breck- 
enridge, making void any act of the general Govern- 
ment interfering with personal liberty or authority 
of the State. 

This was the beginning of the great question of 
nullification and secession — the little cloud no 
bi^aer than a man's hand, which was to orow and 
deepen and at length break into that fearful storm, 
the great Civil War. 

While her father and his compatriots were thus 
engaged, Augusta Cabell was quietly pursuing her 
studies in the Virginia town where her grand- 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 121 

parents lived, and preparing herself to take her 
part in life ; what part she knew not. Over this 
preparation, both mental and social, her grand- 
parents kept careful watch. Augusta was to be a 
great lady; to take a prominent place in grand his- 
toric scenes. They had made up their minds to 
part with her only for a brief visit home on the 
completion of her studies, after which she was to 
return to them and become a distinoruished fisfure 
in the elegant society of the East. But — 

The best laid schemes o' mice an' men 
Gang aft a-gley- 

On the thirteenth of July, 1803, this tall young 
lady of sixteen, fair, lithe and strongly built — look- 
ing, with her natural dignity of deportment, more 
like her grandfather Cabell than ever — sat on the 
deck of an Ohio River barge, watching the pictur- 
esque hills go by. She was traveling under the 
care of an old friend of her grandfather's, General 
Bowles, who unfortunately had been ill almost con- 
tinuously since their embarkation at Pittsburg. 

There were no steamboats on the Ohio then, nor 
until 181 1. Although John Fitch of Bardstown 
had invented his steamboat in 1785 it was many 
years before he could secure any aid in bringing his 
invention into use; and by that time James Rumsey 
and Edward West, both Kentuckians, had secured 



122 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

patents for their steamboats and were ready to di- 
vide the honors and the profits of the invention 
with him. 

" How much nicer this is than traveling by 
stage," Augusta remarked to the young man beside 
her. " And so much faster. Three weeks from 
Wihnington to Pittsburg, and only eleven days 
from Pittsburg to Louisville." 

" I wish it was the other way," said her compan- 
ion. "" That it was two more weeks to Louisville 
instead of two more days." 

" What ! and have poor General Bowles sick two 
more weeks ? He says it is the river that makes 
him ill." 

It was only a rude sort of ark, loaded with live- 
stock and groceries, with but poor accommoda- 
tions for passengers; but to these two young peo- 
ple this gentle gliding along the shining stream, 
with a moving panorama of delightful scenery before 
them, was a charming experience. Only nine days 
before INIr. Melville Keith, with his habitual air of 
careless ease, had stepped on board the boat and 
into Augusta's life. He discovered in General 
Bowles an old and valued friend of his father, and 
that gentleman was glad enough to transfer his fair 
young charge to the care of so courteous and gen- 
tlemanly an acquaintance. And most faithfully had 
he fulfilled the trust ; there was no denying that. 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 125 

" I am afraid papa won't be there so soon," said 
Augusta. " He was to meet me at Louisville, you 
know." 

" Then," said Mr. Keith firmly, " I shall go with 
you to Lexington. General Bowles might be very 
ill on the way." He had told her all about his own 
family, who lived in Pennsylvania, on the historic 
Brandywinc; and she had given him brief glimpses 
of her own home-life. She had told him, too, how 
her own mother had been murdered by the Indians ; 
and how dearly she loved her step-mother. 

" Papa had made up his mind never to marry 
again," she said, " but one Christmas he was at 
Nora's father's (I call her Nora, too) and there were 
a lot of wild young men there ; and they were all 
drinking egg-nog and apple punch. And her father 
had promised that the one who made the best shot 
should marry his daughter. He was a stubborn old 
fellow and Nora knew she would have to do just as 
he said ; and she was dreadfully frightened. Papa 
saw it, and determined to save her. He beat them 
all ; and her father was greatly pleased. Papa 
was intending to give her back her liberty, even 
though it would have offended her father, until he 
found that the next best shot could claim her. She 
has a beautiful face, but papa did not care for that. 
It was the beautiful soul back of it that he cared 
about." 



126 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

" Yes," assented the young man, rather absently. 

Although quite ill General Bowles went all the 
way home with Augusta and her maid. And Mr. 
Melville Keith went along to take care of the whole 
party. He was hospitably received and for some 
days remained a guest of the house. 

Three months afterward we find him still at Lex- 
ington, received everywhere as an honored guest. 
He was a fluent conversationalist, had a humorous 
way of relating an anecdote that made him wel- 
come in any company, and was always faultlessly 
dressed. His elegant ruffles, his embroidered waist- 
coat and his perfectly fitting coats were the admira- 
tion and the despair of young men less fortunate in 
their taste and tailor. He was a frequent guest at 
Colonel Cabell's house, but did not find the ready 
favor in the Colonel's eyes that he found in the 
daughter's. 

" Why don't you like Mr. Keith, papa ? " Augusta 
asked. " He is well-bred, well-connected and good- 
humored ; what more could you ask ? " 

" His manner and his dress are both rather too 
fine for a young man with no visible means of sup- 
port," said the Colonel, whose own dress was suffi- 
ciently elaborate ; consisting of a dark cloth coat 
ornamented with brass buttons, short trousers fas- 
tened at the knee, and long, silk stockings. His 
low-cut shoes had silver buckles, and the long queue 



THE LITTLE CLOL'D. 1 27 

behind was tied with a black ribbon. This change 
in the style of his dress was due more to the taste 
of his wife than to his own. Her father, notwith- 
standing his convivial habits, had always been cere- 
monious and conventional in dress and manners. 
Her own dress, and that of her step-daughter, was 
more simple, consisting of plain stuff gowns with 
cambric frills at the neck and on the sleeves. 

" Do you regard his cousin, General Wilkinson, 
in the light of a recommendation } " inquired her 
father ; but his smile was rather serious. 

"Everyone — except you, papa — likes General 
Wilkinson," returned Augusta quickly. 

" And you.'* How long is it since I heard you say 
that every one who approached General Wilkinson 
retired with a s.mirch on his character.'* " 

" Well, I don't like General Wilkinson — an un- 
scrupulous man, who thinks by knocking down 
others he elevates himself. Mr. Keith isn't at all 
like him. He would rather help others than him- 
self." 

" Yes, he carries that a little too far." Then, 
after a pause, he resumed : " I was hardly fair to 
General Wilkinson the other day when I made him 
entirely responsible for the public neglect that has 
befallen General Georo^e Rogers Clarke." 

" But he gloats over it," interrupted Augusta, 
"and as long as he can manage affairs himself he 



128 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

will hold a position of honor while General Clarke 
pines his life away in obscurity." 

" Wounded pride and a sense of self-condemnation 
because of his complicity in Genet's wild scheme — 
that audacious French minister, you know, who 
planned to seize all the Spanish possessions along 
the Mississippi — have helped to unnerve and de- 
press General Clarke," Colonel Cabell replied. " But 
a sign of interest from the people he has served so 
faithfully would rehabilitate him, and rekindle the 
old fire of patriotism. Sympathy and appreciation 
are what the really loving spirit of the man is 
starving^ for ; but he will never receive them from 
this generation. When a hundred years or so 
have passed, perhaps a big stone may be raised to 
his memory. Meantime his life is wasting away 
in lonely brooding over his wrongs." 

Augusta was never happier than when she could 
induce her father to talk about the statesmen and 
governments, the people and affairs, about which 
he knew so much and she knew so little ; and Mrs. 
Cabell, too, listened with interest, though each kept 
busy with her needle-work. We catch only slight 
glimpses of the women in the histories of that far- 
off time. We are told that there were looms and 
spinning-wheels in almost every house ; not many 
feminine hands were ignorant of spindle and dis- 
taff. Idleness had not then come into fashion. 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 1 29 

" What does all this ado about the Spanish Gov- 
ernment mean, papa?" Augusta next inquired. 
" Is Congress going to declare war against Spain ? " 

" The speeches of Senators Breckenridge and 
White certainly mean war. The cruel treatment 
which American prisoners — arrested on the merest 
suspicion of disloyalty — receive from the Spanish 
Government, is considered sufficient grounds for 
war. There will be no permanent peace until the 
United States has purchased from Spain all the 
territory along the Mississippi. There can never 
be any congeniality between a despotic old mon- 
archy and an enthusiastic young republic." 

" How foolish men are to be always wanting to 
fight ! Is there no way to adjust matters without 
killing each other ? Because that rapacious little 
Bonaparte is snatching at everything that doesn't 
belonor to him and, like a s^reat uoly dos:, beatin<y 
down all the little nations around him, he is thought 
a great man ; but to my mind he is no better than 
a cruel, selfish beast. Though the law provides 
no punishment for the wholesale murderer, he 
is morally guilty, and some day will suffer the 
penalty of his crimes." 

Mrs. Cabell, whose training had been wholly 
domestic, sometimes wondered at her step-daugh- 
ter's keen interest in political movements and 
affairs of nations; but to Colonel Cabell, who re- 



130 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

membered the political atmosphere of his father's 
house, where such men as Jefferson, Madison and 
Randolph were frequent guests, it was not a mat- 
ter of great surprise. 

" Some day, perhaps, the world will learn to rule 
by good statesmanship rather than by blows," re- 
turned her father. " Now that Napoleon is First 
Consul we shall see whether he is a great man or 
not." 

"What is the good of fame, after all? " inquired 
Augusta with an air of disgust. " Don't we call 
our negroes and our dogs Caesar and Pompey } 
But, about the Spanish war; Mr. Keith has joined 
a company of riflemen who are planning to make 
a furious descent on that old rascal of a Morales, at 
Orleans, where he has cut off the navigation of 
the Mississippi again." 

" All talk ! The Kentuckians are always prepar- 
ing to make a furious descent on somebody. Poor 
Philip Nolan ! but for his rash defiance of these 
same treacherous Spanish he might have been alive 
now to serve his country which he loved so well. 
We have no right to make war without the per- 
mission of Congress ; and the war party is as yet 
in the minority." 

Her grandparents were urging Augusta's return 
to Virginia, but she pleaded a wish to learn some- 
thino- of domestic affairs, and to become a little 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 131 

better acquainted with her own State ; and her 
father had no wish to part with his only child. 
Her step-mother, too, found her a great help and 
comfort. But neither of them wished to see her 
the wife of Mr. Melville Keith, who, though war 
had not been declared, still hung around Lexing- 
ton, deferring his departure from day to day on 
one excuse or another. 

Lexington was now the largest and wealthiest 
town of the State, and its society included some 
of the brightest minds the country afforded. Henry 
Clay, who was in 1803, elected to the State Legis- 
lature, had been for six years a resident of Lex- 
ington ; during that time he had won an enviable 
reputation for eloquence, and had started the fash- 
ion of freeing the murderer from the penalty of 
his crime. With his vivid eloquence, his ready wit 
and his deeply-sympathetic heart, he swept his no 
less emotional audience along the current of his 
own feeling, and wept with them over the unhappy 
prisoner whom circumstances had driven to the 
crime. 

Among all the multitude whom he defended not 
one was condemned to death ; while the one un- 
fortunate whom his duty as prosecuting attorney 
compelled him to appear against, was convicted and 
hung. So deeply did this incident weigh upon his 
mind that he lost no time in transferrins: the office 



132 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

to a friend ; preferring, as he said, to secure life 
rather than procure death. 

In her long contest with the Indians Kentucky 
had become inured to violence and bloodshed; her 
people took life and risked it with equal reckless- 
ness and indifference. The infidelity of France 
had stolen like a deadly miasma through the coun- 
try ; it had weakened all good ; it had strengthened 
all evil. The works of Voltaire, of Volney and of 
Tom Paine (an English-American then taking a 
minor part in the great drama of the French Rev- 
olution) were more diligently studied than the 
Bible; and Christianity, whom these great "literary 
lights " had discovered to be a fiction, became a 
by-word and a jest. 

Bibles were scarce ; there were few reputable 
Christians, and still fewer churches; and the Chris- 
tian writers of the time complain of an unconquer- 
able coldness and apathy in themselves. Still, 
they seem to have labored on wath patient per- 
sistence, till " the great revival " swept over the 
country. 

This season of violent spiritual awakening lasted 
with various fluctuations for fifty years, during 
which period infidelity received its death-blow. 
" Not a few continued infidels and scoffers," writes 
Rev. J. M. Peck, " but they were shorn of their 
strength. So many of their number had been con- 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 



13: 



verted, some of whom became efficient preachers 
of the gospel, that infideHty could no longer boast. 
Multitudes of strong-minded men, proud in their 
habits of free-thinking, were converted in so sud- 
den and impressive a mode as to perplex and con- 
found their associates." 

Even Cabell, fixed as he was on the great Rock, 
felt at times that chaos had come. His lamp 
seemed to have gone out, and storms of doubt 
shook his soul ; but, clinging fast with blind des- 
peration, the dawn found him safely anchored, 
while the storm-wrecks still tossed around him ; 
many impaired beyond hope of repair. 

Mr. Keith did not go to New Orleans to put 
down the insolent 
Dons ; partly because 
he was engaged to be 
married, but chiefly be- 
cause there was no 



occasion 



for h 



IS oromo:. 



At noon, on the 
twentieth of December, 
1803, amid the thunder 
of cannon and with 
ceremonies that were 
witnessed by a vast as- 
sembly of people, the 
tricolored flae that had 




SEEKING FOR LIGHT. 



134 I^HE LITTLE CLOLD. 

floated imperiously over New Orleans for so long, 
began slowly to descend from the flag-staff in the 
public square. The stars and stripes mounted 
aloft in its stead. Louisiana was free. The navi- 
gation of the Mississippi was permanently open 
to all. 

Unknown to any except those officially con- 
cerned, Louisiana had passed into Napoleon's 
hands ; and the First Consul (as he was then 
styled),, who wanted money to fight England with, 
had sold it to the United States for fifteen millions 
of dollars. He also hoped that America, which had 
possessed the pluck to fight the British lion once, 
miorht, with this increase of naval strength, take 
occasion again to humble his pride. Yet it is 
doubtful, but for another incident of less national 
character, whether Mr. Keith's matrimonial enter- 
prise would have developed so favorably. 

About noon one smiling, sunshiny day, as he 
was hunting in Colonel Cabell's woods — somehow 
game always seemed more abundant there — he 
noticed an immense volume of smoke advancing 
rapidly from the west ; at the same time he saw 
Augusta walking briskly across the field, carrying 
a small basket in her hand. He hastened to join 
her. " The woods are on fire," he said hurriedly, 
"and it is coming this way. Don't be frightened 
— but we must hurry back to the house." 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 135 

" And leave papa ! Oh ! indeed, I couldn't do 
that," cried Augusta. "He is fishing just be3'ond 
that strip of woods. I was bringing him his din- 
ner. Oh ! we must find papa." 

" Well, then, we must run," and he seized her arm, 
fairly dragging her along as he flew over the ground. 
" If we can reach the creek we are safe," and his 
tone expressed a calm assurance which allayed her 
fears. 

A crackling sound could be distinctly heard ; 
and long tongues of flame were clearly seen shoot- 
ing upward through the swiftly advancing cloud. 
Through the fields they rushed ; the long grass 
tangled about their feet, almost tripping them up, 
but right on they dashed, into the woods already 
alight with myriads of flames. Heaven be praised ! 
there is papa far down jthe creek, peacefully stand- 
ing neck-deep in the water. Suddenly a pile of 
drift-wood lying along the bank flashed into flame 
and shot across their path; it caught at x'lugusta's 
flowing dress and, never pausing, they too rushed 
into the stream. 

During the hour or more in which they stood in 
the stream, dashing water over their faces and heads 
from time to time, even the awful grandeur of the 
scene failed to obliterate the still more thrilling con- 
sciousness that they were together. What they 
said matters little; it is looks quite as much as 



136 THE LITTLE CLOUD. 

words that make up the lieart language. Never 
was wooing framed in a more startHng environ- 
ment. The air was tremulous with heat; the 
cracklino; overhead, the crash of fallinor branches, 
the gusts of smoke which blinded and choked 
them — all seemed only a brilliant stage-setting 
for their own little drama. Burning trees leaning 
over the stream began to shower fiery missiles 
around them ; but even this brought little sense 
of danger to the two lovers wholly absorbed in 
the thouQ-ht of each other. 

At last the air began to clear and they saw 
Colonel Cabell climb out on the bank, muddy and 
water-soaked, but unhurt. Then the two young 
people looked into each other's shining red faces, 
seriously at first, but with a real sense of relief 
which culminated in a happy peal of laughter. 
" Wasn't it grand } " exclaimed Augusta. " I forgot 
all about papa." 

" So did I," said Mr. Keith, with a shade of anxi- 
ety which plainly said he would gladly continue to 
forget him. 

As they stood dripping but radiant on the bank 
the Colonel slowly approached them. There was 
something in his look which sobered them. He 
said little ; even his glance was reticent ; but some- 
how they felt that, with him, all contest was ended; 
that he would no longer oppose his will to theirs. 



THE LITTLE CLOUD. 1 37 

That his daughter loved him Cabell knew well ; 
she would do nothing of her own free will to make 
him unhappy. And yet, while standing there with 
her lover she had forgotten him ; he had seen that. 
He saw, too, how in spite of dutiful resistance she 
had been borne along by a power stronger than 
her own will ; one that had come upon her without 
her own seeking. 

" Come to the house," he said ; and Mr. Melville 
Keith understood that so far as he was concerned, 
penance and renunciation were at an end. 



CHAPTER VI. 



BREAKING THE ROD OF BRITISH POWEK 




UGUSTA CABELL 

became Mrs. Melville 
Keith ; but not with- 
out adequate warning 
from her father as to 
the price she would 
probably pay for that 
honor. " Keith is a 
pleasant, good-nat- 
ured, companionable 
fellow, I know," he said. " An honest, truthful 
gentleman, too, I think ; with a fair education, a 
keen appreciation of wit, and of quick, impartial 
judgment of the good points of friend or foe. But 
he has no enterprise, no business talent, tact or 
training ; and no wish to have. There are burdens 
in every life which some one must bear ; and in this 
case as with the Indians, the burden-bearer will be 
the wife." 

But Augusta only laughed and said that respon- 
sibilitv and a oTcat deal to do were what she had 



BREAKING THE ROD. I 39 

always longed for — that she scorned easy things. 
And so there was a grand wedding up at the great 
white house to which every one came by special in- 
vitation from the bride. People came who had never 
seen a house like that — all smooth outside and in, 
showing no seams. They were awe-struck at the fine 
furniture, the mirrors staring at them from all sides, 
and the table, bristling with cut-glass and silver. 
They handled the china and plate, and walked on 
the marvelous roses of the carpet, with fear and 
trembling. It was a grand occasion, and furnished 
for many years a theme for conversation among 
the humble neighbors. 

The young people were settled at Frankfort, the 
two fathers-in-law sharing the expense, and Mr. 
Keith entered on his career of gentleman of leisure 
— with a law-of^ce by way of justification. No one 
ever knew of his having a case ; but, as he seldom 
read the newspapers and never burdened himself 
with preconceived opinions, he was frequently on 
the grand jury. Though a man of incorruptible 
integrity Mr. Keith was very susceptible to elo- 
quence ; and many a rascal, after a long, expensive 
trial, escaped the just penalty of his crime. 

There were many charming people at Frankfort. 
Even as at the 'present day, visitors flocked to the 
capital from all parts of the country during the ses- 
sion of the Le<'i.5!ature. The laroe, attractive well- 



I40 BREAKING THE ROD. 

equipped home of the agreeable Keiths speedily 
became a popular rendezvous ; and, almost ere the 
honeymoon was well over, Augusta was called upon 
to shoulder her coveted responsibilities and enter 
upon an unexpected career as hostess to an ever- 
growing crowd of guests. None knew of the patient 
care, the tireless energy demanded of the charming 
hostess to keep the domestic machinery from some- 
times running down ; of the thousand drudgeries 
which filled the hours between morning calls, two 
o'clock dinner and evening receptions, which the 
customs of the day demanded. 

Mrs. Keith was not learned in book lore, but she 
knew by reputation almost every leading statesman 
in the United States. When Aaron Burr first made 
his appearance in Kentucky in 1805, she was well- 
acquainted with his previous history. She knew 
just why he had lost the re-nomination as Vice- 
President with Jefferson ; why Hamilton had de- 
feated his election as governor of New York ; and 
how he had fought and killed his enemy. And she 
hated Aaron Burr. But, so much stronger is per- 
sonal sympathy than mere intellectual prejudice, 
that, after one deep glance into the impressive dark 
eyes Augusta remained from that time forth one of 
his warmest friends and defenders. . 

In Lexington, Louisville and Frankfort, as was 
always the case wherever he went, Burr was dined 



BREAKING THE A'OD. 14 1 

and wined. There as every where he was followed 
by damaging stories. Enthusiastic friends gathered 
around him ; envious enemies stabbed him in the 
back. Brilliant and self-confident, yet fatally lack- 
ing in integrity, Burr always found popular favor 
easy to catch but very hard to hold. Yet he never 
found out why it was that the envy and dislike 
incident to notoriety staid by him while the love 
and friendship seemed always to take their flight. 

Soon the Western World, a newspaper pub- 
lished in Frankfort, began to denounce Burr as a 
traitor who was planning to seize Louisiana, Texas 
and Mexico — possibly, even, to overthrow the 
United States Government. Evidence accumu- 
lated rapidly; and on November 3, 1806, Colonel 
Joseph Hamilton Davies, attorney for the United 
States, appeared in court at Frankfort, charging 
Burr with designs against the Government. 

" It is all the spite of the Federalists," was the 
Democratic verdict. Henry Clay, upon receiving 
an explicit disavowal " on his honor" of any design 
against the peace of the country, undertook Burr's 
defense. Immense crowds gathered to hear the 
sharp, impassioned debate which ensued between 
the two noted rivals ; this ended at length in a 
unanimous acquittal of the accused. A grand ball 
was given in his honor, followed by one in honor 
of the defeated Colonel Davies. 



142 



BREAKING THE ROD. 



But his triumph was only temporary; the half- 
truth in his declaration of innocence, like that upon 
which sin entered into the world, failed him in the 
crucial hour. 

Finding the scheme a failure, General Wilkinson, 
Burr's confidential friend, assumed, in the eyes of 
the world, the attitude of saviour of his country. He 








1^; 



^4 -^± 



ome oi 
Cla.y. 



r/ 



j\Jes.r J ^exincrton, i \y. 

proceeded to denounce the man who had trusted 
him, exaggerating his scheme into a gigantic con- 
spiracy to overthrow the Government. Burr's sec- 
ond trial, at Richmond, Va., in 1S07, though it re- 
sulted in his acquittal, left him an outlaw with an 
indelible stain upon his name. 



BREAKING THE ROD. 143 

Yet, minute examination into the history of tliat 
time reveals the fact that Aaron Burr was not the 
only unlucky would-be imitator of the " Little Cor- 
sican." That arch plotter of Europe was then en- 
gaged in stirring up hatred and strife among men 
and nations for the attainment of his own ends, 
seizing every thing he could lay his hands on, to 
the admiration of a gaping world. His example 
bred imitators. Burrs ambition, the conquest of 
Mexico and the freedom of Texas, had been, and 
was afterward, cherished by many another less 
suspected man, without a thought of blame. 

Other Kentuckians beside Mrs. Keith felt a deep 
interest in Aaron Burr, and followed his subsequent 
career of alternate success and failure — the former 
always transient, the latter invariably lasting — with 
keen interest and commiseration. Even in the 
great capitals of Europe, his social success, his 
financial embarrassments, and the unfailing courage 
and fortitude with which he met each new disaster, 
held the attention of even his bitterest enemies. 

People and parties filled the public interest almost 
exclusively in those days. The newspaper, with its 
pictures of life in its most intense phases, was, in 
the ofeneral estimation, about as much literature 
as any reasonable man need desire. And even 
the newspaper was only a makeshift in default of 
actual observation. Leoislative halls and court- 



144 I! A A. -1 A AY u THE AOD. 

rooms were always crowded. From thence flowed 
an eloquence as luxuriant and acceptable as the 
milk and honey of Canaan to the hungry Israelites. 

Frequently these eloquent debates ended, after 
the chivalrous fashion of France, in a duel. In 
iSoS Henrv Clay and Humphrey Marshall, not con- 
tent with skirmishing in the Capitol, went out to 
shoot at each other in the field. Both were wounded 
but not severely. This was not Henry Clay's last 
duel, though he never failed to express his abhor- 
rence of the custoni which, in some portions of the 
countrv, no man with anv regard for his reputation 
dared ignore. 

During this year, and 1809. just eight months 
apart, there dawned upon this ancient Indian battle- 
ground two figures destined to play a leading part 
in their country's history — Jefferson Davis and 
Abraham Lincoln. Born in the Kentucky wilder- 
ness, they were all unremarked, transplanted to 
other soils, there to become the heads of the two 
great adverse factions that rent their native State 
in twain. 

In 181 1 the first steamboat descended the Ohio. 
A great comet was blazing in the skv and a consid- 
erable earthquake shook the earth. Ignorance is 
superstitious and many of the unsophisticated set- 
tlers along the river banks held the steamboat 
responsible for both the natural disturbances. 



BREAKING THE ROD. 1 45 

In this same year Kentucky was called on for 
help in the Indian war in the Northwest; in the 
bloody battle of Tippecanoe Colonel Joseph Ham- 
ilton Davies, the distinguished attorney, and many 
other brave Kentuckians lost their lives. 

For a long time there had been talk of war with 
England. The Mother Country had never seemed 
to realize that Columbia was free. She continued 
to tyrannize over her by land and by sea ; but 
especially the latter. She closed not only her own 
ports but those of France and Spain against Ameri- 
can ships ; she seized unprotected trading vessels, 
confiscated their cargoes, and forced their crews 
to work her own vessels. 

Throughout the country all Americans who had 
within them a spark of human feeling were stirred 
by the wrongs of the American seamen, thousands 
of whom had been impressed into British service 
and hundreds of whom, as even Cobbett and Lord 
Collingwood confessed, had died from hard service 
and neglect. In four years two thousand American 
seamen made application through the American 
minister for release. Only half the number se- 
cured their freedom ; as many more hopelessly sub- 
mitted through ignorance of any means of redress. 

Many anxious looks were cast toward Congress, 
where a bitter war of words was raging. Josiah 
Quincy, in his hatred of the " French tiger," as he 



146 BREAKING THE ROD. 

called Napoleon, resisted every suggestion of war 
with England for fear of interfering with her subju- 
gation of France ; Henry Clay, who thought only 
of his suffering countrymen, " invoked the storm 
with a voice of power," crying, as wdien the ques- 
tion of claiming Florida had been under discus- 
sion, " Sir, is the time never to arrive when we 
may manage our own affairs without fear of insult- 
ing his Britannic Majesty? Is the rod of British 
power to be forever suspended over our heads ? " 

Kentucky, who cannot at any period of her his- 
tory be accused of a preoccupation with her own 
little interests too deep to be aroused to a deter- 
mined resistance of any tyrannous invasion of the 
rights of others, was with all her heart for war. 
Even Melville Keith, seldom deeply stirred, was 
aroused almost to eloquence. " Talk of war ! " he 
exclaimed with thrilling fervor. " All empty words. 
Don't I know 'em } What do our congressmen care 
for the suffering seamen so long as they can sit 
comfortably in their seats and draw their salaries ! " 

Nevertheless, Henry Clay succeeded in arousing 
the nation to resist once more the tyranny of Great 
Britain. War was declared May 18, 181 2. In this 
war Kentucky troops bore a conspicuous part. A 
detachment of Kentuckians, under General Win- 
chester, participated in the woful tragedy of the 
River Raisin, in which the humanity of the gen- 



BREAKING THE ROD. 147 

eral in marching to the defense of. an unprotected 
Michigan town, led to his capture by the Indians, 
and the merciless butchery of the most of his men. 
Four thousand Kentuckians, under command of 
Governor Shelby, took part in the battle of the 
Thames. In this battle Colonel Johnson, with his 
Kentucky horsemen, made the opening charge, 
killing Tecumseh, the commander of the Indians, 
and winning the battle. This victory ended the 
war in the Northwest. At a later day two 
thousand Kentuckians, under General Hopkins, 
marched against the Kickapoos, but failing to 
find them, marched back again in high disgust. 

Other Kentuckians were with General Jackson 
in the South, fighting the belligerent Creeks, who, 
notwithstanding Georgia's compact with the United 
States to extinguish them, objected in a particu- 
larly troublesome way, to being extinguished. 

In December, 18 14, when the proud British 
squadron of fifty sail with eight thousand well- 
equipped soldiers, fresh from a splendid victory 
over the " French tiger," swooped down upon New 
Orleans, two thousand two hundred and fifty Ken- 
tuckians, under General Thomas, hurried to the 
defense of the Crescent city. Some of these were 
drafted, some were volunteers. Among the former 
was Melville Keith. 

It is not always the heroic who go to battle. 



148 BREAKING THE ROD. 

The sluQ^Q^ish blood, too, craves excitement. Storms 
agitate little pools as well as mighty oceans. Nor 
does valor always represent patriotism. No one 
fought more fiercely for his country than Benedict 
Arnold — before he betrayed her. 

Mr. Keith answered his country's summons with 
a thrill of valor such as he had never before ex- 
perienced. Well for Augusta that she had a cour- 
ageous heart and did not shrink from hard things, 
for as we advance along the journey of life the lug- 
gage is apt to accumulate; sometimes, indeed, in a 
sudden avalanche. 

There were now five children, requiring continual 
service, watchful care and thoughtful training. The 
eldest was a beautiful boy but exceedingly willful 
and hard to manage. His parents often wondered 
over him, he was so unlike the others ; but they 
were proud of him and unwilling to relinquish to 
his grandfather the entire care of him that Colonel 
Cabell had frequently requested. 

Ferdinand's remarkable beauty was not an un- 
mixed source of joy to his grandfather, who had 
seen it thirty years before in the wilderness — flam- 
ing into ungovernable rage over a burnt potato. 
It was the Westlake strain. He knew that the 
praise and indulgence which the boy received at 
home made the worst sort of training for an inordi- 
nately selfish nature. He would have relieved his 



BREAKING THE ROD. 1 49 

daughter of this heavy responsibihty, but Ferdi- 
nand refused to " bury himself in the country." 
Mr. Keith said he should not be forced to go against 
his will, and Augusta could not find it in her heart 
to oppose her boy's father, who was now going 
away, perhaps to be shot by the British. 

The battle of New Orleans was fought on 
January 8, 18 15. Sir Edward Packenham com- 
manded the British troops, who were composed 
chiefly of " the fierce and hardy veterans of the 
Peninsular War." General Andrew Jackson led the 
Americans. The Kentucky troops, who arrived 
just three days before the battle, travel-worn, half- 
famished, many of them ill from unwholesome 
food and water — played a leading part, both in 
the victory on the eastern bank of the Mississippi 
and in the defeat on the western. 

General Thomas, expecting his troops to be fur- 
nished with arms and clothing on their arrival, had 
hurried them away with what they happened to 
have at starting. But the Federal Government had 
made no such provision, and the duty of supplying 
the deficiency fell upon the heavily-burdened citi- 
zens of New Orleans. This they lost no time in 
doing, so far as lay in their power; but, so scarce 
were army supplies, that many were compelled to 
go into battle with the old muskets and fowling- 
pieces they had brought from home. 



150 BREAKING THE ROD. 

Throughout the fierce conflict on the eastern 
bank, two lines of Kentuckians and two of Tennes- 
seeans occupied the front, alternately, as their 
pieces were discharged. " Stand to your guns ! 
Don't waste your ammunition ! See that every shot 
tells!" was General Jackson's continual cry. And 
that was why the brave British soldiers lay so thick 
before their lines. "They forgot they were not 
shooting at turkeys," said Marshal Clausel, " and 
tried never to throw away a shot." 

A private letter, from Ensign David Weller to 
his brother Samuel at Bardstown, Kentucky — 
written in camp five days afterward, says : " The 
battle began at daylight and lasted two hours, and 
the Almighty was pleased to give us the victory. 
Dear Samuel, I have for once seen the enemy com- 
pletely scourged. Their loss was two thousand 
killed, wounded and taken ; ours trifling in com- 
parison — say, ten or twelve." (Official report: 
British loss, 1929; American 13.) " They attacked 
us on our right and our left, but all to no purpose. 
Also our works across the river; and by the French 
giving way on the right, they got complete posses- 
sion of our works and spiked the cannon. General 
Jackson sent three hundred of us Kentuckians, and 
on the next morning we retook the place without 
opposition, and that evening marched back again. 
. . . The opinion is the enemy is about to re- 




A WATERY WOOING. See page 135. 



BREAKING THE ROD. 1 53 

treat, but if they should be fool enough to attack 
us again, we'll serve them the same as before. 
Our company will no doubt be noticed in the offi- 
cial letter, as it was in the centre and hottest of the 
battle. About fifty prisoners were taken by our 
company. The red-coats lay thick enough to walk 
clear of the ground before our company." 

But, alas for Kentucky's valor on the western 
bank ! There " a weak detachment " — among 
whom, sad to relate, was our friend Melville Keith 
— demoralized by sickness and fatigue, threw down 
their old fowling-pieces and fled ; though our brave 
young ensign from Bardstown kindly omits the fact 
from his interesting communication. 

In the first place, an attack was not expected on 
the western bank, and General Morgan's force of 
eight hundred and twelve men, all militia, includ- 
ing about one hundred Kentuckians, armed with 
" old muskets having common pebbles instead of 
flints in the locks," had been hurried forward with- 
out rest or food the night before and hastily formed 
into line just as the enemy came in sight. When 
Tessier's French troops fled into the swamps, the 
whole English force made a dash at the Ken- 
tuckians, who, seeing they were about to be 
hemmed in, fired one volley and left — notwith- 
standing the fierce discharge of abuse from their 
commander which followed them. 



154 BREAKING THE ROD. 

Yet while the fashion of war continues, it is the 
soldier's duty to stand fire. If he has scruples 
against standing up to be shot at, it is his dut}^ 
to settle them before enlisting. Poor Keith might 
as well have died at his post, for three weeks after- 
ward a young Kentuckian sat down to a task far 
more depressing than fighting the British with old 
fowling-pieces — that of relating to the far-away 
wife the story of Melville Keith's last illness and 
death. The strain of military discipline, united 
with the uncongenial climate, unwholesome food 
and the mortification of failure, soon exhausted the 
enfeebled current in Keith's veins : and so, like 
many other Kentuckians, he had fallen after the 
struo^orle was over. 

He was sincerely mourned by the wife and five 
children. With less of selfish regret, perhaps, 
that he had been a loving friend rather than a 
mere provider for their material wants. But affec- 
tion and sympathy are more precious possessions 
than food and clothes. So while Augusta wept, 
she thanked God for the sunny companionship 
which had brightened her way for awhile — that 
memory was a dearer, holier inheritance than 
vast estates. 

Henry Clay was one of the commissioners se- 
lected to negotiate peace. Alexander of Russia 
had offered his services as mediator between the 



BREAKING THE ROD. 1 55 

belligerent powers, but Great Britain preferred the 
American plenipotentiaries. 

Years afterward, Louis Philippe while King of 
France, was called on to disavow the forcible im- 
pressment of the American seamen by the English. 
It was, however, a responsibility which he court- 
eously declined, for during his exile and when a 
passenger on an American ship to Havana, he had 
himself witnessed one of these very impressments. 

The close of the war left the country in great 
financial distress, w^ith an inflated paper currency, 
a heavy debt impending and no public credit. 
Kentucky's efforts for relief were more energetic 
than successful. We are told that she " exhausted 
the follies it was possible for a developing com- 
munity to commit," but that she wisely " profited 
by her painful experience," 

The Legislature of 181 7-18 chartered forty inde- 
pendent banks with an aggregate capital of ten 
million dollars, permitting them to redeem their 
notes with paper of the bank of Kentucky, then in 
good credit, instead of silver or gold. This remedy 
of the relief party was found to be worse than the 
disease. 

Kentucky has always been proud of her brilHant 
legal talent. In the bitter warfare which now 
raged between the relief party, which had flooded 
the country with worthless paper, and the anti- 



156 BREAKING THE ROD. 

relief party, which condemned the reckless relief- 
act as unconstitutional, her active, wide-awake law- 
yers took a prominent part. The leaders of the 
first party (having a majority of the people on their 
side) were John Rowan, George M. Bibb, Rezin 
Davidge, Solomon P. Sharpe, William T. Barry 
and other eminent lawyers, who advocated the 
authority of the people to enact remedial laws. 

With the anti-relief party were Robert Wick- 
liffe, George Robertson, afterward chief-justice of 
Kentucky, Chilton Allen, John J. Crittenden and 
a majority of the bench and bar; with them, too, 
were nearly all the mercantile class and the better 
(jrade of farmers. 

It was the old question of State rights and the 
power of the majority. Hitherto " the people " had 
ruled with an iron rod. But the three judges of the 
court of appeals — who, Mr. McClung declares, 
"in simplicity and purity of character, in profound 
leeal knowledge, and in Roman-like firmness of 
purpose, have seldom been surpassed " — came to 
the rescue ; by steadily adhering to their belief 
that the relief-act belonged to that class of acts 
prohibited by the Federal Constitution as " impair- 
ing the obligation of contracts," and by maintain- 
ing their decision against the tempest of rage 
which surged around them, they held the Ship of 
State from quite going to pieces. But their firm- 



BREAKING THE ROD. 1 57 

ness occasioned an uproar. Was it possible that 
these three quiet, unobtrusive individuals could 
thwart the will of the all-powerful " majority " ? 
Monstrous ! 

The three judges were summoned before the 
legislative bar and required to give an account of 
themselves. These memorable three were, John 
Boyle, who had risen from obscurity to a seat in 
Congress, had declined an appointment by Presi- 
dent Madison as Governor of Illinois, and had been 
made chief-justice of the appellate court in 1809 
(which place he held for sixteen years); William 
Owsley who had been school-teacher, county-sur- 
veyor, deputy-sheriff, member of the State Legis- 
lature and finally judge of the court of appeals 
(twenty years afterward elected governor), and Ben- 
jamin Mills, beginning in his youth as president of 
a college in Washington, Penn., several times mem- 
ber of the Legislature, and at last judge of the 
appellate court — a position held during "good 
behavior." 

For all the combined eloquence of Rowan, Bibb 
and Barry, the Legislative vote failed to convict 
them, and the three immovable jurists remained on 
the bench. Then followed a renewal of the battle 
more fierce than before, in which Mr. McClung 
describes the excited debaters as " denouncing each 
other with fierce and passionate invective " for 



158 BREAKING THE ROD. 

three days, protracting their debates until far into 
the night, while an occasional clap or hiss was 
heard from the excited audience. A new court 
was organized — a bill to that effect having readily 
passed both houses — with William Barry as chief- 
justice, and John Trimble, James Haggin and 
Rezin Davidge as associate judges. 

The old court continued to sit. It was recog- 
nized by the majority of the bar as the true court, 
though many went over to the new court, and de- 
clared the old one void. The " relief party " now 
became known as the "new court party," and al- 
though they had the favor of Governor Desha and 
a majority of the House, the quiet persistence of 
the old court judiciary in what they believed to be 
the right at last won them the victory. In 1826, 
the act creating the new court was repealed. 

The old judges who had devoted three years to 
the maintenance of the Constitution, were voted 
their salaries during the time of their enforced pro- 
scription and all the acts of the new court were 
annulled. In this long contest Kentucky began 
to understand herself and her limitations ; and from 
this time has fully acknowledged her allegiance to 
and dependence upon the National Government. 

In February, 1825, there was a great hubbub in 
Frankfort. Bands were playing; processions, in 
all the splendor of new and highly decorated uni- 



BREAKING THE ROD. 



159 



form, were marching through the streets; for the 
great hero and friend of American Liberty, the 
gallant Lafayette, was come to town. Napoleon 
had called him a noodle : but Napoleon was nobody 
now, only a fat and garrulous man who had lost 
his chance of being a hero. Jefferson had said that 
Lafayette " had a canine appetite for applause ; " 
but he had helped to turn the tide of popular favor 
America's way when her cause seemed almost lost, 
and it did not become those who had profited by 
his generous action to pick him to pieces. 

The gallant Marquis had been received every- 
where with lively demonstrations of welcome. Con- 
gress had voted him two hundred thousand dollars 
and a township of 



land ; innumerable fu- 
ture presidents had 
been named " Marcus 
D. Lafayette," and 
everywhere there was 
a ball in his honor. 
In those days every- 
thing wound up with a 
ball; if people talked 
too long there was 
certain to be a quar- 
rel , so they danced 
instead, wisely. 




l6o BJiEAKIXG THE ROD. 

Youno- ]\Iarv Keith had dreamed of the oreat 
warrior as a stately old man with noble brow 
and piercing eye, and as she entered the crowded 
ball-room with her mother, she glanced eagerly 
around, scarcely seeing young Peterson, from 
Louisville, who sprang eagerly forward to greet 
them. " Where is he ? "' she exclaimed. 

" Who ? '" inquired Peterson coldly. She had not 
even seen his elaborate new evening costume on 
which he had spent so much time and money. 
" Wlio, the Marquis .^ There he is," and he pointed, 
with rather a malevolent smile, to a little flippant- 
lookinor old man who was bowins; and smiling and 
chattering away to the dense crowd that sur- 
rounded him. Was that the noble, distinguished 
"guest of the nation"! Mary turned away with 
a pensive smile which seemed to say that life, 
though quite a fine thing, still lacked a good deal 
of perfection. After that glance at the hero young 
Peterson did not find it such a difficult matter to 
command her attention. And had the Marquis 
asked her to dance, I fear he would have received 
a reply similar to the one Louis Philippe received 
many years before from a Frankfort girl, who, un- 
willino- to wound the feelino-s of a rustic admirer 
whom she had just refused, declined to dance with 
the prince. 

Mary had always liked Stanley Peterson — though 



. BREAKING THE ROD. l6l 

his father was a pork-packer and his grandfather — 
nobody knew who. But what mattered it, after all, 
about one's ancestors? The spirit of evil is no 
respecter of persons ; and noble houses have their 
black sheep, too. Who, for instance, could be more 
unlike her noble grandfather Cabell than her eldest 
brother, Ferdinand 1 That grandfather — the hero 
of the family beginnings in the deep Kentucky 
wilderness — was dead, and Ferdinand was the 
head of the house. But, though a brilliant and 
scholarly fellow, Ferdinand, with his extravagance 
and dissipation, had about ruined the family finan- 
cially. Under his administration the vast Cabell 
estate had melted away until there remained only 
the homestead and a few of the old family ser- 
vants ; their daily living depending on the two 
energetic, industrious younger sons. 

Lafayette had visited Frankfort before when the 
place was little more than a canebrake. The sim- 
plicity of the early settlers was doubtless all the 
more charming to the young Frenchman because 
of their familiarity with the artificialities of the first 
capital in Europe. Certainly one of his compa- 
triots lost his heart here — young Beaumar — and 
for the sake of his Kentucky bride, turned his back 
forever on the Old World. 

A twelvemonth afterward Stanley Peterson sat 
in his father's office, making himself agreeable, long 



1 62 BJ^EAKIXG THE ROD. 

after closing-iip time. " I see Henry Clay has at 
last induced Congress to acknowledge the indepen- 
dence of Greece," he remarked. " But for him 
South America would never have been recognized. 
General Bolivar, it is said, revives the patriotism 
of his soldiers by reading them Clay's eloquent 
appeals in their behalf." 

" Yes," said the old gentleman, always pleased 
with the praise of his favorite, " Henry Clay is always 
on the noble side of every question ; foremost in 
every movement that reflects honor on his country." 

" As for that duel with Randolph," continued the 
son, "he was forced into that." (Quite frequently 
the young men of Louisville settled their quarrels 
with swords or pistols for two, in a retired spot on 
the other side of the Ohio.) 

" Forced ! " exclaimed the elder sternly. " No 
man is forced to make a target of himself or to 
attempt to commit murder." 

" If it is risjht for nations to massacre each other 
on account of a difference of opinion, it is right for 
individuals," said the son, who was a chip of the old 
block. " It is merely a question of wholesale or 
retail." 

The father's reply was still more decisive, but the 
son wisely returned to the more agreeable theme. 
" Mr. Clay favors the copyright law," he resumed. 
" He says the literary period of a nation is its 



BREAKING THE ROD. 1 63 

golden age." (Young Peterson secretly contem- 
plated the publication of a volume of poems as soon 
as he should have the time to arrange them.) 

" Well, it's about supper time," said the old gen- 
tleman, quite aware of the perturbation beneath all 
this conversational glibness. 

" By the way, father " — in an easy, off-hand man- 
ner — " I am going to be married next month. I 
thought I'd better tell you now." 

" Who is it ? " frowning portentously. 

" It's the widow Keith's eldest daughter, Mary. 
A lovely girl, and as good as she is beautiful," with 
gathering defiance. 

" Has she got any sense .f*" 

" Plenty of it; and courage, too. She said you 
would object because they are poor now, but she 
wasn't afraid of you. She said you had too much 
sense not to make the best of a bad barcjain." 

The old man smiled grimly. " Well, if she is 
anything like her mother she'll do. As for her 
father, Keith was a charming fellow, but he had no 
business tact. In fact, I think he had some fool 
notion that buying and selling were low. Now his 
daughter is glad to marry a pork-packer's son. But 
her grandfather Cabell — you seldom see such gen- 
tlemen these days. He was offered about every 
office in the power of the State, but always refused. 
Was even talked of for Governor. Lived more 



1 64 BREAKING THE ROD. 

like an English lord than like a farmer. Splendid 
farm ; superb horses, and about fifty likely negroes 
— but I suppose it's all gone into Ferdinand's crop 
of wild oats. That's the sort of life I want to live 
some day." 

The country life was the ideal life in those days. 
Lawyers, physicians, merchants, politicians — all 
were struggling toward the time when they could 
retire to a principality of about fifty colored souls, 
and a thousand acres of blue-grass pasture, dotted 
with grazing herds and horses of the bluest blood. 
This was the sort of life to which Henry Clay has- 
tened at the close of each session of Congress. 




CHAPTER VTI. 

"THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT." 

U C H has been said 
and written, in a face- 
tious way, about the 
beUigerent character 
of the Kentucky peo- 
ple. In the first place, 
only a hardy and high- 
spirited race could 
have overcome the 
difficulties and dan- 
gers incident to the settlement of Kentucky. The 
pioneer had inherited from his English ancestry 
that same peremptory, masterful spirit which has 
helped to give John Bull the dominant power in 
the world; a tendency which a generous admixture 
of Scotch and Irish blood has not tended to 
diminish. 

After their long-continued warfare with the In- 
dians it was impossible that people of their tem- 
perament and experience should settle down at 
once to entirely peaceful pursuits. Conflict had 
165 



1 66 ''THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT" 

become habitual. The cultured class adopted the 
premeditated and ceremonious style of homicide 
prevalent in France — the duel; a fashion which 
the law-maker endeavored to check by making the 
participant in a duel inelligible to ofifice. Those of 
smaller pretentions used less punctilio. Often 
whiskey, which was more freely used then than 
now, was almost wholly to blame. 

In 183S, at the Gait House in Louisvile, — a 
hotel pronounced by Charles Dickens as equal to 
any in Paris, — an affray occurred which is a fair 
sample of what whiskey and bravado could do in 
those days. 

Judge Wilkinson of Mississippi, accompanied by 
his brother and friend, stopped at the Gait House 
on his way to Bardstown, where, in a few days, he 
was to be married to an accomplished young lady. 
His brother ordered a suit of clothes of Mr. Red- 
ding, a fashionable tailor of Louisville, depositing 
one hundred dollars in payment. He wore the 
coat away, but soon returned with the judge and 
his friend. The coat, it seemed, was all wrong. A 
quarrel ensued, which resulted in a fight, inter- 
rupted by the bystanders in time to prevent blood- 
shed. An hour afterward. Redding, accompanied 
by his brother-in-law, John Rothwell, went to the 
Gait House to obtain their names for indictment. 
The quarrel was resumed in the bar-room. Red- 



'' THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHTS 1 67 

dino- offerinu: to "whip the three of them if 
they would lay aside their dirks." " I will not 
fight with a man of your profession," returned 
the judge, "but if you interfere with me I will 
kill you." A few more words and the bar-room 
was converted into a battle-ground. Besides the 
Mississippians' dirks there seems to have been no 
weapons more dangerous than a cane and a "cow- 
hide " whip. When the room was cleared, two 
of Redding's friends were to be found mortally 
wounded — John Rothwell, his brother-in-law, and 
TMeeks, a bar-keeper. 

The trial, held at Harrodsburg on the plea that 
an unprejudiced jury could not be obtained in 
Louisville, was listened to by about one thousand 
men and two hundred ladies — or, in the language 
of the local reporter: "the fair enchantresses who 
hold the magic wand over man's happiness in this 
sublunary sphere" — "two thirds of whom were 
distinguished for great beauty." Traces of their 
influence are discoverable throughout the trial, in 
many an extraneous peroration. 

Hon. John L. Bridges presided. A brief rcsztme 
of the facts of the case were given by the youthful 
prosecuting attorney, Mr. Edward Bullock, and the 
law bearing on it briefly stated. No law, he de- 
clared, could excuse a man for resenting by the 
murder of his enemy a blow from a "cowhide 



1 68 " THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT. " 

whip" or a cane — the weapons used by Rothwell 
and Meeks. 

He was followed by Col. \Vm. Robertson, "a 
polished gentleman of the old school, with ruffled 
shirt, starched frills, gold-headed cane, and the 
studied sauvity of a courtier." The colonel de- 
clared that the man who " allowed another to whip 
him and live, was eternally disgraced ; an object 
of scorn and loathing;" both the judge and his 
friend Murdaugh, he declared, " stood justified by 
every principle of divine, natural and municipal 
law." " God forbid that a jury should ever be 
found in this country to condemn a man for killing 
one who made so felonious and unwarrantable an 
attack on himself or his brother." If they had 
acted otherwise " never afterward could they have 
looked society in the face ; nor would they have 
received the countenance of any honorable man." 

In conclusion he deplored the growing practice 
of employing hired counsel in criminal cases. The 
learned gentleman who was to receive one thou- 
sand dollars for his services (Hon. Ben Hardin) 
must have undertaken to convict, if he could, 
whether the accused be innocent or guilty ; and he 
invoked the sympathy and aid of the " lovely 
beauty" by which he was surrounded. His speech 
occupied fully an hour. 

The Hon. S. S. Prentiss of Mississippi, followed 



''THE FIRE- BELL IN THE NIGHT. 



169 



in a lengthy effort " ot transcendent eloquence" 
frequently interrupted by bursts of applause. 
" What ! a man whom he had known for years 
as the soul of honor, guilty of a base and cowardly 
assassination. Perish the thought ! " The de- 
fense included, besides Mr. Prentiss and Colonel 




OURT HOUSE PORCH. 



Robertson, Judge Rowan and John B. Thompson 
(both United States senators), Samuel Daviess, 
Chas. M. Cunningham, C. M. Wickliffe and James 
Taylor (whose will in 1853 included real estate in 
Kentucky and Ohio valued at four million dollars). 
The Hon. Ben Hardin devoted two hours and a 



I 70 - THE FIRE-BELL LX THE XLGHT " 

half in the afternoon to the prosecution and the 
same length of time on the following morning. 
" In this country," he said, " experience has taught 
us that a change of venue is sought, not to obtain 
justice but to evade it ; to thwart and embarrass 
the prosecution, and multiply the chances of elud- 
ing the responsibility of the law." He questioned 
the "high character" of a "judge" who knocks 
down a tailor with a poker because there is a shade 
of fashion lacking in the collar of a coat. Such 
free use of personal liberty to avenge private 
quarrels was indicative neither of courage nor brav- 
ery. " In New England you can get no man to 
fight a duel ; but when they have been called into 
the field for the protection of their country, show 
me where men have been more prompt to rush 
upon the bayonets of their countr3''s invaders. 
Sir, courage and bravery belong to the respecters 
of the law, which, in a civilized community, pro- 
tects every man's rights." In conclusion, he 
begged them not to "stigmatize their country by 
proclaiming these guilty men innocent and free of 
crime." 

Judge Rowan, in closing the defense, declares 
that " the man who is attempted to be cowhided, 
not only may but must, if by any possibility he 
can, kill the man who attempts to degrade him." 
This he called " a law of Kentuckv instinct which 



" THE FIRE-BELL LN THE NIGHT " I 7 I 

none are so ignorant as not to know, and few so 
dastardly as to deny its injunctions." Mr. Hardin, 
who had " engaged to take the life of the accused 
for one thousand dollars," he compared to " a turbid 
and muddy stream of large volume, emanating 
from the fetid marshes of exuberant avarice." 

The changes were so rung on the influence of 
that one thousand dollars, its corrupting power was 
so magnified and distorted by the whole of the de- 
fense, that the jury, in horror of the murderous 
one thousand dollar influence, unanimously pro- 
nounced the accused " Not guilty." 

Ah, well, judge and jury, counsel and accused 
are now, it is likely, gone to their own reward, 
where eloquence, nor pride, nor money, nor station 
can neither avail to excuse actual guilt, nor to dis- 
tort and blacken innocence. And now, we are told, 
the "one thousand dollar power " is not so potent. 
Kentucky was then, as now, distinguished in ora- 
tory and the profession of law. Lexington and 
Bardstown were especially noted for the eloquence 
and ability of their lawyers. The Clays, the Breck- 
enridges, the Johnsons, the Wickliffes, the Hardins, 
all have a national reputation. It was Judge Duvall, 
a pioneer Bardstown lawyer, who furnished for 
Washington Irving the interesting character of 
" Ralph Ringwood." 

Political matters were still of as serious impor- 



i;2 -THE FIRE-BFLL TX THE XIGHT/ 

tance as in the days of the "' Old Court" and the 
" New Court " contiict, and of the struggle between 
the '• Relief '" and " Anti-relief " parties. The " Old 
Court" party had drifted into the National Repub- 
licans, generally known as the Clay party. This, 
in 1S32, received the nanie of \\ hig. The " New 
Court " party became the Peniocraiic-Republican, 
or Jackson party, now known as Pemocratic. 

There were few movements of national impor- 
tance in which Kentucky remained inactive. The 
slavery question was now assuming threatening pro- 
portions. Much of the wealth of the State consisted 
in slaves. Some of these were inherited ; others 
were purchased — oftentimes out of pure pity for the 
unhappy chattel on the block. Vet to many of the 
Kentucky people, with their great love of freedom, 
slavery was as obnoxious as to the people of the 
North. As early as 1804 a society led by six Bap- 
tist ministers, was organized for the emancipation 
of slaves. The Baptist Association declaring it 
" improper for ministers, churches or associations 
to meddle with emancipation, or anv other political 
subject." the " Emancipators." as they called them- 
selves, withdrew and organized " The Baptist Lick- 
ing Locust Association." or " Friends of Humanitv." 

There is no account of insurrection among the 
slaves of this State until 1S4S (about the time the 
French mob was surging through the Orleans palace 



•■ 77/A /'/h'h~Jih/X IN 711/: NIG 111. I 73 

and Louis Philippe escaping through a back door;. 
In that year fifty-five slaves under the guidance of 
a party of .Abolitionists, set out for freedom across 

the river. Thirteen escaped, the rest were cap- 
tured; and the leader of the Abolition party, 
who had received stolen goods in payment for his 
services, was sentenced to twenty years' service in 
the penitentiary. 

This evidence of discontent revived the interest 
in the emancipation question. In 1853 sixty- 
three colored people, emancipated for the purpose, 
left Louisville for Liberia, on the western coast of 
Africa. The following year forty-four were sent 
from Kentucky and in 1855 fifty-two more were sent. 
At this time sales of negro men are recorded at 
^1,378, $1,295 and $1,260. In 1856, when the 
Liberia scheme had proved a failure, on account of 
the unhealthfulness of the climate, emancipation 
meetings were held, and delegates appointed to a 
convention called for the purpose of amending the 
Constitution and providing for the gradual emanci- 
pation of slaves. New York had emancipated hers 
gradually; in 1840 Rhode Island and Connecticut 
had only a few ; New Jersey had three hundred, 
and Pennsylvania about sixty-four. Why should 
not Kentucky pursue the same method } 

Hitherto slavery in this State had not been pro- 
ductive of any serious discontent. A " hard mas- 



I 74 " THE FJRE-BELL AV THE NIGHT. " 

ter " would have received the same condemnation 
here as in the free States. Few Kentucky slaves 
had availed themselves of the system of emancipa- 
tion known as the " Underground Railroad." This 
was a plan organized by the " Abolitionists," a small 
but active band of whom had established regular 
stations for the accommodation of fugitives, and en- 
gaged conveyances along a regular route to the far- 
away land of freedom. Mr. Coffin of Cincinnati, 
who liberated thousands in this way, was called the 
President of the " Underground Railroad." 

Although she had lost few of her slaves by the 
" Underground Railroad," Kentucky resented this 
method of " slave-stealing " as lawless and dishonor- 
able. Nor was it less distasteful to the majority of 
the Northern people. Even those who considered 
slavery wrong, preferred to attend to their own 
affairs rather than stir up the South and start a 
war; and they put some of the Abolitionists into 
jail as disturbers of the peace. 

Yet there was a vague dislike of slavery abroad 
in Kentucky. 

" Papa," said little Henry Clay Peterson, one day, 
"let's set Aunt Becky and all our people free." 
" What for } " asked his father in surprise. " Well, 
Aunt Becky's hand is all burnt, dreadful, and she 
wouldn't have to get dinner, if she was free. And 
Uncle Ned out on the farm has got the rheumatiz. 



'^rilE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHTS 1 77 

and he isn't very well, nohow. Hut he has to go 
out and work in the cornfield, any how; and, papa, 
he gets so little of the corn." " We all have to 
work, Harry," said his father. Nevertheless he, too, 
felt the same prejudice against the inequalities of 
slavery that Harry had expressed. 

The admission of Louisiana to the Union had 
greatly strengthened the slave-power in the country, 
so that, when Missouri, the remaining portion of the 
French purchase, sought admission in 181 8, Con- 
gress hesitated long, debating the wisdom of 
accepting her with her slave-supporting consti- 
tution. For nearly three years the two parties 
wrangled fiercely over this portentous question, 
which, Jefferson says, "awoke him like a fire-bell 
in the night, from dreams of security." 

It was finally decided that Missouri should have 
her way, but that henceforth slavery should be re- 
stricted to the territory south of a certain central 
line. 

In 1835, Texas, aweary of her long and futile 
struggle against the Mexican powers, presented 
herself at the door of Congress asking to be taken 
into the Union. The annexation of Texas meant 
war, as well as the extension of slavery ; and Henry 
Clay, with the most of his party, opposed her ad- 
mission ; as much on account of an extension of 
" the national evil," as of her feud with a friendly 



I 'jS " THE FIRE-BELL LN THE NLGHT. '' 

power. In this way he lost the support of Kentucky, 
who was in strong sympathy with Texas. For 
nearly ten years Texas fought for freedom and a 
place in the Union; and at last (May, 1845) was 
taken under Columbia's protecting wing. An army 
under General Zachary Taylor of Louisville — who 
had fought Indians for thirty years, at the bidding 
of the Government — was ordered to her defense. 
This was " old Rough and Ready," beloved as much 
for his bluff honesty as for his readiness in the 
service of his country ; though that service was 
oftentimes in opposition to both inclination and 
judgment. 

Then there came a call for volunteers; Kentucky 
was asked for two regiments of infantry and one of 
cavalry; three thousand men. In less than a week 
fifteen thousand responded ; ten thousand more 
than could be accepted. The Louisville Legion, 
commanded by Colonel Ormsby, a regiment of 
infantry under Colonel W. R. McKee and Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Henry Clay. Jr., and a regiment of 
cavalry under Colonel Humphrey Marshall were ac- 
cepted for service ; also, by special order of the war 
department, Captain John S. Williams' company. 

General Taylor was ordered into the very terri- 
tory under dispute. His first victory was at Palo 
Alto ; this was quickly followed by that of Resaca 
de la Palma. After the battle of Monterey there 



" THE FIRE-BELL LN THE NLGHT " I 79 

was a second call for volunteers. It was privately 
given out how many would be wanted, and the two 
regiments of infantry required were filled some 
weeks before the requisition was received, so there 
was no chance for competition. 

On February 22, 1847, occurred the terrible battle 
of Buena Vista, in which General Taylor's little army 
of four thousand five hundred were opposed by 
Santa Anna's twenty thousand. " You are sur- 
rounded and cannot avoid being cut to pieces," said 
Santa Anna, looking down on the little band with 
contempt. " I give you one hour in which to sur- 
render." 

" General Taylor never surrenders," retorted old 
" Rough and Ready." His position in the narrow 
pass of La Angostura, with precipitous mountains 
on either hand and a labyrinth of impassable gullies 
on one side was almost inaccessible. All that day 
the battle went on in fitful, ineffective charges by 
the Mexican troops. Many of the Americans were 
fighting their first battle. When night threw her 
veil over the horrible scene, the shivering soldiers 
dropped down on the rocks to rest, while to make 
night hideous the howl of the jackal mingled with 
the groans of the wounded. 

Next morning at dawn the battle was resumed, 
the Mexicans having gained a position on the hill- 
side in the night. Many brave Kentuckians had 



l8o ''THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT.'' 

fallen. Col. W. R, McKee and Henry Clay, Jr., 
fell like heroes at the head of their men. What 
thoughts of home and loved ones must have swept 
through the minds of these poor soldiers as they 
lay dying on the stony ground. Was not glory 
dearly bought at such a price } 

The American loss was reported as seven hun- 
dred and twenty-three, the Mexican, two thousand. 

Once, it is said, this handful of untrained fron- 
tiersmen was actually defeated, but in their igno- 
rance of military law, fought on until victory was 
won. Santa Anna's army was in full retreat; Gen- 
eral Taylor's mission was accomplished ; Texas was 
free. But General Scott, to whose relief on the 
very eve of battle General Taylor had sent a large 
portion of his troops, pushed on into the enemy's 
country, taking town and fortress, until Santa Anna, 
the patriotic Mexican general who had fought and 
conquered Spain, was forced to sue for peace. 

The object of Burr's ambition was achieved; 
Mexico was at the disposal of the United States. 
The loss and cost of this war to widen our bounda- 
ries was just half that of the seven years of Revo- 
lution. 

News traveled slowly in those days. Kentucky, 
where it was known that General Taylor had parted 
with his veteran troops jus-t before the battle, awaited 
the result in deep anxiety. Some months afterward 



''THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIG If IV l8l 

the dead heroes of Buena Vista were brought home 
and buried in the beautiful Frankfort Cemetery, 
which Anthony Trollope declared the loveliest he 
had ever seen ; and the poet soldier, Theodore 
O'Hara, pronounced above them that inspiring 
benediction, " The Bivouac of the Dead." 

Not far away from the tall shaft commemorating 
the heroism of the Buena Vista soldiers, may now 
be seen the grave of this same Theodore O'Hara, 
who fought through the civil war and died in 1867. 

In the same neighborhood is the tall monument 
erected to the memory of Colonel Richard M. 
Johnson, hero of the " Thames " and Vice-President 
of the United States, who faithfully served his 
country for a half century or more ; and near by is 
the column erected by Kentucky "to her brave and 
noble son, Philip Norbourne Barber, who fell at the 
head of his command at the storming of Monterey." 

Standing high upon the cliff, clothed in majesty 
of towering pine and hemlock, the forest of marble 
shafts from time to time erected here, in honor of 
military bravery, imparts to this picturesque ceme- 
tery an air as martial as that of " Fame's eternal 
camping-ground," of which O'Hara speaks. Ken- 
tucky has never been found wanting when military 
service was needed by her country. 

Many soldiers of the Mexican War took part also 
in the great civil war. Besides Generals Thomas 



1 82 ''THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIG HIV 

L. Crittenden, William Preston, John C. Brecken- 
ridge, Humphry Marshal,- Walter Whittaker, 
Lovell H. Rousseau, William T. Ward, E. H. 
Hobson, James M. Shackleford, John H. Morgan 
and John S. Williams, there were many others who 
served on one side or the other in the civil war. 

At the next presidential election (1849) General 
Zachary Taylor was made President. A slave- 
holder, and yet, like Clay, favoring gradual emanci- 
pation, his indefinite attitude on this question, while 
it won him the popular vote, served to alienate 
ardent partisans on either side. Even his son-in- 
law, Jefferson Davis, refused to vote for him. 

There were at this time in Kentucky, many 
men of brilliant ability and many women of excep- 
tional grace and intelligence. In Lexington lived 
Joel T. Hart, the poet sculptor. Of him Henry 
Clay said, " He has more versatility of talent than 
any man I ever met." In Frankfort were John J. 
Crittenden, United States Senator, and afterward 
Attorney-General for both Harrison and Fillmore. 
In Louisville was Tom Marshall, whose ready wit 
and attractive personal qualities have come down 
to us in many an anecdote and jcu d' esprit, and 
George D. Prentice. In 1830 Prentice had estab- 
lished the Louisville Journal ; it became one of the 
most popular and celebrated newspapers in the 
land, and its accomplished editor was justly es- 



THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NLGHT. 



183 



teemed as one of the most conspicuous journalists 
of America, 

By this time the loom and spinning-wheel were 
banished from good society, and the tinkle of the 
piano was heard in the land. The literary and 
artistic forces began to assert themselves in the 
hitherto silent feminine world ; a new type made its 
appearance in Kentucky — the literary young lady. 
Amelia B. Welby, Sophia H. Oliver, Rebecca 
Nichols, Mary Elizabeth Nealy, Eulalie Fee Shan- 
non and many other musical feminine voices, made 
themselves heard through the columns of the 
Louisville Journal, whose editor, as gallant as he 
was gifted, welcomed each new candidate with a 
very flattering pen. 
Genius burst forth from 
many an unexpected 
quarter. To write 
poetry, good or bad, or 
moonshiny prose for the 
public prints, became 
quite the fashion. But 
the real name was rarely 
given ; that was alto- 
gether too bold. 

The elder people 
groaned over this new 
order of thint^s, and 



3 " 




184 ''THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT.'' 

sighed dolorously over the days of tedious patch- 
work, of the homespun blanket and counterpane. 
What had the modern girl to show for all her 
precious years of youth and strength, but a head 
full of nonsense ? 

The Petersons were still in Louisville ; pros- 
perous, enterprising, successful ; a power in the 
social world. No thread of homespun ever found 
its way into their elegant home. Fortunately, 
Grandma Peterson had accidently dropped a spark 
from her tallow candle into the closet containing 
all the precious product of her youthful toil, and 
failing to discover it in time, the whole mass was 
converted into ashes ; hence, in preferring the 
lighter fabric of the mills, there was no danger of 
wounding her feelings. 

It was a period of much sociability and merry- 
making. The Petersons kept open house all the 
year round. Mrs. Peterson, like her mother, was 
noted for her cleverness, her good-humor and her 
skill in entertaining company. But the eldest 
daughter, Cornelia, with all her advantages of 
beauty, brains and breeding, failed to achieve any 
marked social success. 

The same constitutional shyness and reserve 
which, in his youth, had driven her great-grand- 
father, Edmund Cabell, into the wilderness where 
through toil and hardship he attained a spiritual 



''THE FIRE-BELL IN THE NIGHT.'' 1 85 

strength and self-reliance such as few achieve, had 
descended upon this tenderly-nurtured daughter of 
affluence, whose every wish was gratified as soon 
as expressed ; whose every want was supplied by 
eaoer hands. 

o 

The same intellectual activity, too, which had 
set the Virginia youth to writing his prayers in the 
wilderness, characterized the granddaughter. The 
new caprice of venting one's surplus mental ener- 
gies through the public prints, furnished the rest- 
less brain with an occupation ; and soon every one 
was wondering who the light and airy " Thistle- 
down " of his morning Journal could be. 

No one thought of the " proud, cold " Cornelia 
Peterson ; who found the freedom of her disguise 
so fascinating, and the stimulus of praise so agree- 
able that she soon began to think, " I will write a 
great book, and help the poor world to be good and 
happy." Like all Kentuckians she had studied her 
Bible faithfully; had read Shakespeare, and certain 
of the old English authors — and she felt wise in 
her day and generation. 

But her book encountered a colder, less gracious 
audience in the professional critics ; and the un- 
favorable words that greeted it so deeply wounded 
the sensitive author that the volume was sup- 
pressed. In glancing over the inoffensive little 
book (possibly the only surviving copy) one is con- 



lS6 "THE FIRE-BELL LX THE XIGHT" 

strained to wonder where her censor found material 
for such scathing condemnation. Honest, earnest 
and, in a day of unusual artificiality, singularly true 
to human nature, all through it you can feel that 
the happy author is thanking God for this little 
" something to do." At least she is saying, " I 
am not that atom which He needed not to build 
creation with." Vou can see, too, that it was not 
wounded vanity that stopped the song, but a feel- 
ing of the futility of her work. 

Had she lived a little longer (she died abroad the 
following year, aged nineteen) she would have 
realized how little a sharp review mattered; how 
little, indeed, her work mattered save as a means 
of training and discipline. She would have learned 
to receive all criticism, even the most intolerant, 
with generous kindliness, remembering that we are 
all — even critics — but mortal, and happily not all 
able to see alike. 

" Thistledowns " was not the first book suppressed 
by a Kentucky author because of supersensitive- 
ness to criticism. In iSi6 John M. Harney, whose 
"Echo and the Lover" had been widely copied, 
suppressed the book because of harsh criticism of 
his " Chrystalina,"' and ceased to write. 

There were many other sweet singers whose voices 
were first heard through the columns of the Louis- 
ville Journal. Besides the tender verses of George 



■■ THE FIRE-BELL AV THE XlGH'Jr 1 87 

D. Prentice, thrown off in the scant leisure of a 
crowded life, there were William O. Butler, whose 
" Boatman's Horn" had resounded throughout the 
land, William Ross Wallace, Fortunatus Crosby, 
Thomas H. Shreve, George W. Cutter, Sallie M. 
Bryan, Rosa Vertner Jeffrey, Mattie Griffith and 
many others. The other Kentucky papers did not 
cultivate fine writing to such an extent 



CHAPTER VIII. 



"fratricidal war. 




GENERAL 



'E have seen that the 
intellectual bias of 
Kentucky has always 
been political rather 
than literary; and that 
she recognized, almost 
fro m the first, the 
magnitude of the slav- 
ery problem. In the 
State Emancipation 
Convention which met in 1850 we find slave-hold- 
ers earnestly discussing the question, " Which 
would be better for the slave .f* " With freedom 
comes responsibility and care and sometimes want. 
There are bitter, desolate journeyings through the 
wilderness, and hopeless murmurings after the 
flesh-pots of Egypt. 

Not only the South, but a majority of the North, 
shrank from the responsibility of turning loose 
upon the country a great mass of ignorant, shift- 
less people. Gradual emancipation seemed the 

iSS 



FRATRICIDAL WAR.'' 



189 



only solution. And the convention demanded the 
insertion into the new Constitution of a clause 
giving the Legislature "complete power to perfect 
a system of gradual emancipation." 

Soon afterward the inscription, " Under the 
auspices of Heaven and the precepts of Washing- 
ton, Kentucky will be the last to give up the 
Union," was placed upon the block of Kentucky 
marble which the State contributed to the Wash- 
ington monument. 

Yet althouQ-h Kentuckv favored the orradual 
emancipation of her slaves she was not inclined to 
let them be snatched away by the Abolitionists. 
Could not she be trusted to manas^e her own affairs ? 
Now and then a freed slave returned to his master 
and begged to be taken back. Was not that, they 
argued, sufficient proof that slavery, after all, was 
not so bad '^. What did those meddlesome Aboli- 
tionists know about either master or slave } It 
was only because they had no slaves themselves ; 
the discomfort and loss of their meddling would 
all fall upon the South. How many of these same 
"philanthropists" were willing to buy a slave and 
set him free } How many would become responsi- 
ble for the support of the emancipated after they 
were free } Down with the Abolitionists ; they 
were fanatics and incendiaries, all of them, ready 
for a theory to sweep the South with flame! 



IQO ''FRATRICIDAL IfAR." 

Yet even in Kentucky " the theory " had taken 
root. Cassius M. Clay and many others liberated 
their slaves and boldly advocated immediate abo- 
lition. Slavery, so long a thorn in the flesh of the 
political body, was beginning to threaten its life. 
The enactment of the '' Fugitive Slave Law," com- 
pelling the Northern people to assist in the recov- 
ery of runaway slaves, served to intensify their aver- 
sion to slavery; while the forcible seizure of their 
slave property roused the South to a more bitter 
resi'stance. 

At the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, 
allowing slaves into any territory that desired it, 
regardless of the limitations fixed by the Missouri 
Compromise, each party began to realize that active 
measures were necessary to save itself from a per- 
petual minority. Then there was a race to see 
which could first fill up the territories. The North, 
having more emigrating material on hand, came 
out ahead; in 1S5S Kansas was ready to come into 
the Union with a non-slaveholding constitution. 

In 1S54 the eminently respectable Whig party 
had adopted the irresponsible title of " Know-Noth- 
ings " and instituted a general crusade against for- 
eigners. In August, 1 85 5, at the election of Gov- 
ernor Morehead and other State officers, a riot 
occurred in Louisville in which twenty-two people 
were killed, twenty houses burned, and a great deal 



'' FRATKICIDAL WAR." I91 

of property destroyed. By such lawless proceed- 
ings the Know-Nothings lost caste and became 
gradually submerged in the Republican party. 

Presidents Polk and Buchanan had each depre- 
cated any interference with slavery; but neither 
seems to have been entirely satisfactory to his 
party. At the next presidential election both par- 
ties split in two; the Southern Democrats nomi- 
nated John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky (then 
Vice-President), who believed that slavery ought to 
be admitted into the territories ; the Northern 
Democrats, who held by the old Missouri Com- 
promise, nominated Stephen A. Douglas — who 
by this time had repented of his Kansas-Nebraska J 
bill. The radical Republicans nominated Lincoln, '^ 
who believed that slavery was doomed ; and the 
Conservatives John Bell. z^ 

Abraham Lincoln, born in the Kentucky wilder- \nA 
ness, was elected. The Union went to pieces..^^ 
The old flag was torn down at Fort Sumter; the 
South Carolina flag floated in its place ; and Presi- 
dent Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand men 
to put down the rebellion. Jefferson Davis, also 
the son of a Kentucky farmer — esteeming slavery 
of more advantage to the South than was the 
Union — was elected President of the Southern 
Confederacy. Armed soldiers sprang up, flags, 
new and old, fluttered — the war was here ! 






192 



''FRATRICIDAL WARr 



At the first note of war, some one has said, every 
Kentuckian was on his feet. Perhaps so, for Ken- 
tuckians are apt to be impulsive. And it is all 
the more to their credit that the most of them sat 
down asain — to consider whether either the 
wrongs of the " persecuted South " or those of the 



^'^^U^^Cr? 







Vv''C"^c'-'ir 



IROTIIKK ACAINST DKtyril 



"outraged Union" justified the slaughter of her 
best citizens. 

Each State had entered the Union fully fore- 
warned that there was absolutely no divorce. " Can 
a State leave the Union if dissatisfied?" asked 
New York, hesitatino: before committino: herself to 



" FRA TRICIDAL WAKr 1 93 

the bonds. " Never ! " was Madison's reply. " The 
Constitution cannot provide for its own overthrow." 
It is "We the people of the United States," not 
" We the States." 

Kentucky was sincerely attached to the Union. 
Long ago she had settled what she would do when 
this crisis should arrive. She had chosen for her 
motto: "United we stand, divided we fall." Even 
though she believed that a State had a right to 
nullify the acts of Congress she did not believe 
that a State had any right to withdraw from the 
Union. 

Neither had she any wish to fight over the mat- 
ter. She said: "I do not believe in this war. 
And although I have no wish to give up my slaves, 
I would even do that rather than leave the Union, 
or enter into a long and bloody contest." In Ken- 
tucky, where every man formed his own opinion 
independently, this war meant an array of brother 
against brother, of father against son. Was it any 
wonder then, that she did not believe in it .-^ 

Socially and commercially she was more closely 
allied to the South. Her domestic and business 
relations were almost entirely with the South. On 
the other hand she was deeply indebted to the 
North in educational matters. Her teachers had 
been mainly from the New England States; many 
of them were able men and women who afterward 



194 ''FRATRICIDAL JFAR." 

attained brilliant eminence in law and politics, in 
literature and science. 

Considering herself in no way responsible for 
this " fratricidal war," Kentucky decided to remain 
neutral and, if possible, act as mediator between the 
belligerents ; earnestly offering her services to effect 
"a just and honorable peace." 

Clay, whose influence was not alone for his own 
day and generation, was no more; and Webster, 
whose deep devotion to the Union had made patriot- 
ism the fashion — he, too, had gone ; who was there 
to take their places and keep the Union together.? 

" The War of the Rebellion," says General Sickles, 
who was in Congress just before the war, " was 
caused by the whiskey. . . . The fights, the an- 
gry speeches were whiskey . . . Nervous ex- 
citement seeking relief in whiskey, and whiskey 
adding to nervous excitement. If the French As- 
sembly were to drink some morning one half the 
whiskey consumed in one day by that Congress, 
France would declare war against Germany in 
twenty minutes." We do not hesitate to quote this 
now, for whiskey is no longer the fine fellow he then 
was. In these better days the whiskey drinker has 
to steal away with his bottle like a thief in the 
night ; and liquor selling is left to the foreigner as 
a disreputable calling. We know, too, that there 
were many, even then, who did not touch it. 



''FRATRICIDAL JFAR." 195 

If anything could have peaceably settled the 
question of slavery the Crittenden Compromise 
should have done so. This "olive branch " was 
offered by John J. Crittenden of Frankfort who 
for more than forty years had faithfully served his 
country as governor, senator and attorney-general. 
It guaranteed the continuation of slavery not only 
in the slave States but in the District of Columbia, 
in all territory south of the central line, and in any 
territory north of it which desired it. Every facil- 
ity for the recovery of fugitive slaves or their value 
was offered ; and any act of the free States conflict- 
ing with the fugitive slave act was declared null 
and void. But although Senator Crittenden com- 
manded the respect of the whole country, as much 
on account of his purity of character as of his intel- 
lectual ability, his compromise met with little favor 
outside his own State. 

In June, 1861, a "border State convention " met 
at Frankfort. It was composed of leading men in 
Kentucky and Missouri who announced their de- 
termination to maintain the Constitution and pre- 
serve the Union, but to take no part in the war. 
The Governor, with the approval of the Legisla- 
ture, had (May 16) refused to furnish troops "for 
the wicked purpose of subduing sister States." 
This attitude was, in a meeting at Louisville, 
indorsed by such men as Hon. James Gutherie, 



1 96 ''FRATRICIDAL JVAR." 

Hon. Archibald Dixon, Hon. John Young Brown, 
Judge Bullock, Judge Nicholas and other promi- 
nent Union men. 

The State Guards, composed of fifteen thousand 
men, were placed under the control of a military 
board of trusted citizens, presided over by the 
Governor ; and one million dollars provided for arm- 
ino- and trainino' the militia — "neither arms nor 
militia to be used against the Government of the 
United States, nor the Confederate States, unless 
in the sole defense of Kentucky." General Simon 
Boliver Buckner was appointed Inspector-General 
of the State forces. 

We all have our shabby pages. We try to be 
heroic and are only ridiculous. But there can never 
be anything ridiculous in a wish to refrain from 
war — chief of the three great national calamities, 
"war, pestilence and famine." The time will come 
when the heroism of war will suffer the same 
shrinkage and depreciation that has befallen the 
heroism of single combat, so glorified by classic 
and scriptural chroniclers. 

The State declared for peace and the Union ; but 
each citizen decided for himself. Kentucky had 
been settled by soldiers. Her lands had helped to 
pay the war debt of the Revolution. It was hardly 
possible that these sons of soldiers, whose fathers 
had borne a heroic part in every struggle in which 




THE DARK AND BLOODY GROUND. 



''FRATRICIDAL WAR." 1 99 

their country had been engaged should sit idly by 
while their brothers fought and died. 

Yet the hearts of the fathers and mothers were 
very sad, for youth is adventurous; with intelligence 
and a sympathetic nature it is easily moved by 
popular oratory. "The Kentuckians come slowly," 
said a Confederate recruiting agent, " and require 
about three speeches a day. When thus stirred up 
they go, almost to a man. Since I have found that 
I can't be a great general I have turned recruiting 
agent and sensation speaker." By such means as 
these, by promises of money, or of glory — and 
these failing, by the hated draft — material for war, 
which, too frequently, marks the "glorious " eras of 
history, is obtained. 

In the meantime extreme partisans were slipping 
away to either side. It is still a debated question 
which side first violated the neutrality of the State. 
It matters little, since as early as July General 
William Nelson had a Federal camp in Girrard 
County (Camp Dick Robinson) and Colonel Withers 
had recruited a Confederate regiment in Kentucky, 
holding his rendezvous at Camp Boone, Tennessee. 
President Lincoln, though he promised to make 
no war on Kentucky, unless she made war on 
the United States, declined to remove the small 
United States garrison at Covington ; and President 
Davis would only promise "to respect Kentucky's 



200 ''FRATRICIDAL IVARr 

neutrality so long as the people of Kentucky 
maintained it themselves." Even this half-hearted 
promise was broken at the first opportunity. 

" Go home, raise cotton and make money," a 
Southern statesman had said to his people, " the 
border States will attend to the v/ar." But Kentucky 
approved less and less of the war. The vote of the 
State showed a two thirds majority for the Union ; 
but she believed that there was no need of fighting; 
that the South, if let alone, would soon see the error 
of her way and return of her own accord. In August 
the Governor wrote to President Lincoln request- 
ing the removal of the Federal troops, expressing 
his aversion to war and his wish to save Kentucky 
from becomino' a battle-field for the contendins: 
parties. 

The President declined, saying that the force 
" consisted exclusively of Kentuckians in the vicin- 
ity of their own homes, and was raised at the urgent 
solicitation of many citizens." 

Although Kentucky had repeatedly declared her 
determination to remain peaceably in the Union, 
neither North nor South seemed able to compre- 
hend how she could do so and yet keep clear of the 
quarrel. Her sincerity was questioned by both sec- 
tions. As her geographical position, as well as her 
known military ability, or temperament, made her 
good-will a matter of importance, for awhile a fair 



''FRATRICIDAL IVAR." 20I 

show of respect for her wishes was maintained upon 
either side. The Confederates, although actively 
engaged in recruiting throughout the State, confined 
their permanent encampments to Tennessee soil. 
General Anderson, commander of the Federal mili- 
tary department which included Kentucky, kept 
his headquarters at Cincinnati, and General Rous- 
seau, also a Kentuckian, had his recruiting camp 
across the Ohio, on Indiana soil. 

September the third the Confederate forces under 
General Polk of Tennessee moved into Kentucky 
and took possession of Columbus, situated on a 
high bluff commanding the Mississippi River for 
five miles — afterward known as the " Gibralter of 
the West." Immediately the Legislature hoisted 
the United States flag over the Capitol, and de- 
manded the withdrawal of the Confederates as vio- 
lators of the neutrality of the State. They refused 
unless the Federals at " Dick Robinson " also with- 
draw. The Federals refused, reiterating the Presi- 
dent's words, that "it was not a very large force 
and consisted exclusively of Kentuckians, placed 
there at the solicitation of Union-loving people, 
merely for the defense of the State." 

September the fifth Governor Magofifin proposed 
to the Legislature to borrow money for the pur- 
pose of keeping Kentucky clear of the invading 
armies. The House took no action on this propo- 



202 ''FRATRICIDAL WAR." 

sition, but voted seventy-one to twenty-six to order 
the Confederate forces encamped on Kentucky 
soil to decamp ; and the governor was requested 
to call out the militia " to expel the invaders." 
Their resolutions were vetoed by the governor on 
the ground that the Union troops were not in- 
cluded. However, he notified Governor Harris of 
Tennessee of the presence of a large Confederate 
force, in direct defiance of Kentucky's neutrality. 
Governor Harris promptly responded that he was 
confident they were there without the consent of 
President Davis and that he had telegraphed a 
request for their withdrawal. Mr. Davis, in turn, 
telegraphed General Polk, " The necessity justifies 
the action;" and wrote him, later, "We cannot 
permit the indeterminate quantities, the political 
elements, to control our actions in cases of mili- 
tary necessity." 

On the mornino- of the sixth General Grant — 

o 

who also had had his eye on Columbus — with two 
regiments and a battery, entered Paducah, forty 
miles above on the Ohio. He issued a proclama- 
tion assuring Kentucky that he came to defend her 
against their common enemy; that she might "pur- 
sue her usual avocations without fear, as the strong 
arm of the Government was there to defend her." 

September the fourteenth General Zollicoffer 
telegraphed Governor Magoffin that, as the Federal 



''FRATRICIDAL WARr 203 

forces, in defiance of Kentucky's neutrality, had 
established camps in the central and other portions 
of the State, he had taken possession of the three 
long mountains in Kentucky. If the Federal 
forces would withdraw, those under his command 
should be withdrawn. 

In fact, Kentucky's neutrality was hopelessly 
shattered ; her fair land, once the bone of fierce 
contention between rival Indian tribes, was now 
the object of a contest no less bitter ; a contest that 
bade fair to keep up her reputation as a "dark 
and bloody ground." 

On September eighteenth the Legislature re- 
solved that the Confederates must be expelled ; 
that the Federal troops were assembled for the 
purpose of preserving the peace ; that General 
Anderson, a native Kentuckian, be requested to 
take instant command, with authority to call out 
volunteers for the purpose of expelling the in- 
vaders; and that the State forces must be placed 
under command of General Thomas L. Critten- 
den. The Governor vetoed these resolutions as a 
direct infringement of the neutral attitude they 
had chosen. Yet after they were passed, he lent 
his assistance in putting them into execution. 

The arrest of Col. R, T. Durrett and ex-Governor 
Morehead at their homes in and near Louisville 
(September 18) led to a general exodus of "South- 



204 ''FRATRICIDAL WARr 

ern sympathizers " from the State. Among these 
were John C. Breckenridge (ex- Vice- President), 
Hon. William Preston (ex-Minister to Spain), W. 
N. Haldeman (Editor Louisville Courier), the Mon- 
roes, the Marshalls, the Johnsons, the Clays, and 
other prominent secessionists. Governor More- 
head and Colonel Durrett were, without warrant or 
legal authority, arrested as suspected rebels. They 
were taken to Fort Lafayette in New York Har- 
bor, and afterward to Fort Warren in Boston 
Harbor, where they were kept for months in 
close confinement. 

Innumerable other arrests were made all over 
the State. General Anderson issued an order 
(October 7) in which he " regretted that arrests 
were beinc: made on the sli2:htest and most trivial 
grounds." He requested civil and military authori- 
ties not to make any arrests " except where parties 
were attempting to join the rebels, or were engaged 
in mvinor aid or information to them; and in all 
cases the evidence must be such as would convict 
before a court of justice. Many, he said, had 
been "arrested while quietly remaining at' home, 
and others had been taken out of the State — all 
contrary to his wish." He urged a " discontinuance 
of these ill-timed and unlawful arrests." 

The severe duties of his position proving too 
great a strain on General Anderson's failing 



''FRATRICIDAL IVAR." 205 

strength, General Sherman soon afterward suc- 
ceeded to the command at Louisville. He issued 
an order (October 31) saying: "The removal of 
prisoners (except spies and prisoners of war) from 
the State — without giving them an opportunity 
for trial by the legal tribunals of their country — 
does not meet with my approval ; " and he directed 
that they should be " examined and dealt with ac- 
cording to law." 

General Buckner and the most of the State 
Guards had left the State early in September 
and enlisted in the Confederate service. On the 
eighteenth General Buckner, by order of General 
Albert Sidney Johnson^ a native Kentuckian now 
in command of the Confederate forces of the Mis- 
sissippi Valley — seized several railroad trains and 
with about four thousand men advanced into Ken- 
tucky and took possession of Bowling Green. 
Here, by the middle of October, his force had 
increased to twelve thousand. 

Extensive preparations were made by the Federal 
troops for the defense of Louisville ; and the Leg- 
islature passed a bill calling for forty thousand 
volunteers for the defense of the State. A few 
weeks previous one million dollars had been appro- 
priated to raising and arming troops; two million 
dollars more were now added for the same pur- 
pose. Generals Thomas L. Crittenden, Burbridge, 



206 - FRATKICJDAL WAR:' 

Walter Whitaker, Ricliard Jacob, John Harlin, 
Price, Kelly, Croxton, and many other prominent 
Union men, had taken service in the Federal army. 

Hitherto the North had seemed so averse to war 
that it was not believed by Kentucky people that 
the contest would continue long. The second war 
with Great Britain, and the Mexican war, both of 
which had been generally condemned in the North, 
had been fought mainly by the South and West. 
But both parties were now thoroughly roused, and 
in the general upheaval, Kentucky's neutrality was 
soon swallowed up, and swept away upon one 
current or another. 

General .Zollicof¥er had marched upon Barbours- 
ville and taken possession of the Union forces 
there, issuing an order promising protection to 
every citizen not found in arms against the Con- 
federacy. Cumberland Gap was fortified ; Colum- 
bus and Bowling Green put in a position of defense. 

Meanwhile General Sherman, at Louisville, was 
vainly endeavoring to awaken the Federal Govern- 
ment to a realization of the fact that the State was 
fast being appropriated by the Confederate Army. 
Two hundred thousand men, he declared, were 
necessary for the campaign in the southwest. 
McClellan on the left, with a frontage of less 
than one hundred miles, had one hundred thousand 
men; Fremont on the right, with the same line 



FRA TRIG ID A L WAR. ' ' 



207 



of defense had sixty thousand ; while he, with over 
three hundred miles of frontier, had only eighteen 
thousand. By the first of January (1862) General 
Buell, at Louisville — having superseded General 
Sherman in November — had discovered that "the 
great power of the rebellion in the West is arrayed 
on a line from Bowling Green to Columbus." 

By persistent urging from President Lincoln 
and General Grant Major-General Halleck was 
induced to make a demonstration against the 
enemy, which was begun about the middle of Jan- 
uary. P)rigadier-General McCIernand, with five 
thousand men, " pushed a reconnoissance up to 
Columbus ; " Brigadier-General Smith marched a 
strong column to Callo- 
way; while Foote and 
Grant, with three gun- 
boats, ascended the 
Tennessee River to 
Fort Henry. The only 
result of this expedition 
was that it furnished 
Grant with the informa- 
tion of the enemy's 
strength and weakness 
necessary for the bril- 
liant operations against 
Fort Henry and Fort KteoNNoiTERiNr. 




208 ''FRATRICIDAL JFAR." 

Donelson which he begun a few weeks after- 
ward. 

The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, flowing 
almost side by side, furnished easy access from the 
Mississippi to these two forts, which stood midway 
between Columbus and Bowling Green, a little 
southward, across the Tennessee line. Every one 
knows the story of the capture of these two forts 
(February 6 and February i6, 1862) and the pluck 
of the two Kentucky commanders, Tilghman and 
Buckner. They held the forts until their superiors 
and the other officers, and many of the men had 
made their escape ; then they surrendered to 
General Grant. 

The Confederate power in Kentucky was hope- 
lessly shattered by this defeat. General Johnston 
immediately abandoned Bowling Green, and two 
weeks later General Polk removed his forces from 
Columbus. 

Meanwhile numerous skirmishes had taken place 
throughout Kentucky. Colonel Garrard at Camp 
Wild Cat, near London, was attacked October 21 
by General Zollicoffer, with seven regiments and a 
battery. General Schoeff, who had just reached 
the camp with six regiments and Wolford's cavalry, 
assumed command of the Federal forces and after 
two engagements drove the Confederates away. 
The Confederate loss was reported as thirty killed 



''FRATRICIDAL JIAR." 209 

and about one Inmdred wounded ; the Federal loss, 
twenty-two killed and wounded. 

Colonel John S. Williams, of Cerro Gordo fame, 
occupied Pikeville at the head of the Big Sandy 
River, with a Confederate force of one thousand 
men. General William Nelson set out with three 
thousand men to dislodge them, sending Colonel 
Apperson with nearly half the force round by a 
circuitous route to the opposite side of Pikeville 
for the purpose of catching the Confederates be- 
tween two fires. But Colonel Williams, aware of 
his intention, harassed them with sharp skirmish- 
ing around to Pound Gap, his rear guard leaving 
Pikeville as Nelson entered it. A desperate fight 
of over an hour ensued, which resulted in the de- 
feat of the Confederates; thirty killed and a num- 
ber taken prisoners. Federal loss, six killed and 
twenty-four wounded. 

January 19 a battle had been fought at Mill 
Spring, Eastern Kentucky, General Zollicoffer and 
General George B. Crittenden commanding the 
Confederates and General Thomas and Colonel 
Garfield the F'ederals. The result was uncertain 
until General Zollicoffer w^as shot by Colonel Speed 
Fry, whom he had mistaken for one of his own 
officers. Upon this the Confederates retreated, 
leaving their camp supplies and twelve pieces of 
artillery. The loss in this engagement was about 



5 10 ''FRATRICIDAL U'ARr 

six hundred. The larger part of this loss was 
borne by the Confederates. 

After the fall of Fort Donelson came the terrible 
battle of Shiloh. Thou2:h fous^ht on Tennessee 
ground its effects were grievously felt throughout 
Kentucky. The close of this bloody battle left one 
thousand three hundred of her brave soldiers dead 
upon the field, six hundred and eighty of whom 
were Confederates. Among these were General 
Albert Sidney Johnston, the brightest star of the 
Confederacy, Major Thomas B. Monroe, Jr., and 
Colonel George W. Johnston, who had been elected 
"provisional governor " by the Confederates while 
at Bowling Green. The total loss of the two armies 
was about ten thousand each. But then, some glori- 
ous names were won on the field of Shiloh ! 

Five days after this battle, slavery was abolished 
in the District of Columbia; one million dollars 
appropriated by Congress to colonizing any who 
might wish to leave the country ; and one million 
dollars to pay loyal owners the value of their 
slaves — the only slaves liberated by Congress who 
were paid for. No action was ever taken on the 
bill recommended by President Lincoln and passed 
by both Houses of Congress (July i8), appropria- 
ting tw^o hundred million dollars for emancipating 
and colonizing the slaves in the border States, 
The border States made no motion of acceptance. 



CHAPTER IX. 



CRUEL WAR. 




|T is History's part to 
depict only the heroic 
features of War. If 
all the truth were told 
of scenes witnessed by 
people living" within its 
bloody circle — the dis- 
gusting details of 
senseless cruelties, of 
pitiless barbarities — 
the glory of war would be so tarnished and be- 
draggled, that no self-respecting nation would be 
found willing to subject its people to so great a 
calamity. Generations to come will, with amaze- 
ment and horror, look back upon this time, when 
governments had power to drive men from their 
homes to kill and be killed. What famine or pes- 
tilence ever swept off so many strong men in so 
short a time as at the battle of Shiloh.!* Twenty 
thousand in twenty-four hours — and almost noth- 
ing gained. 



212 CRUEL WAR. 

The Federal forces had possession of Kentucky ; 
but the principal gate was left wide open, and soon 
the rebel flag was fluttering back and forth through 
Cumberland Gap. Kentucky was too inviting a 
battle-ground to be long abandoned. Her fertile 
fields served both armies as a convenient source 
of supplies. With her ten navigable rivers she 
presented greater facilities for transportation than 
could almost any other State. Railroads might 
be destroyed, but the rivers were always there. 

In midsummer of '62 John Morgan started on 
his series of " raids." He captured towns, took food 
and clothing, cut telegraph lines and sent off 
false messages; he burned many houses, destroyed 
bridges and created a panic throughout the coun- 
try. At Tompkinsville he defeated a detachment 
of Federal cavalry, killing four men and taking 
nineteen prisoners, including the commander, Major 
Jordan. At Lebanon, he captured Colonel Ab. John- 
son and his force, and burned the warehouse con- 
taining sixty thousand dollars' worth of United 
States stores. On the seventeenth of July he 
captured Cynthiana, defeating Colonel Landram's 
regiment and the home guards, and taking about 
four hundred and twenty prisoners ; sixteen Fed- 
erals and fourteen Confederates were killed, and 
forty wounded on each side. 

Paris, Mr. Collins tells us, surrendered without 



CRUEL WAR. 213 

resistance; the Confederate troops remained there 
all night, but were hurried away the following 
morning by the approach of General Green Clay 
Smith, with over one thousand two hundred men. 
Morgan now hastened back to Tennessee, having 
in three days, with a loss of only ninety men, "cap- 
tured" seventeen towns, paroled one thousand two 
hundred regular troops, and destroyed over a 
million dollars worth of Government property. 

On the approach of Morgan, General Boyle of 
Louisville, who had command of the provost guards 
in Kentucky, issued an order that " every able- 
bodied man take arms, and assist in repelling the 
marauders ; every man who does not must remain 
in his house forty-eight hours, or be shot if he 
leaves it." Horses were taken without ceremony, 
and business almost entirely suspended. General 
Boyle had made himself extremely unpopular with 
" Southern sympathizers " by requiring them to 
take an oath promising to assist in putting dowm 
the rebellion — the penalty of violation, death — 
or else be sent to a military prison. He also fitted 
up quarters for " disloyal females." The work of 
arrest was prosecuted with such vigor that all the 
available space in prisons and penitentiaries was 
soon appropriated. The oath was duly administered 
to all who would take it, and who could furnish 
bonds of from five thousand dollars to twenty 



2 14 CRUEL WAR. 

thousand dollars, with approved security. This 
done, the prisoners were released. 

" Raids " now became the order of the day. 
The Confederates took the horses and cattle of 
the Union men ; the Federals the horses and 
cattle of the Southern men; the soldiers of both 
sides took everything they could eat, drink, or wear, 
wherever they could find it. Trying times were 
those ! Little regard was had for private property 
of any description. Then, in August, came the 
first demand on the slave-holders for all their able- 
bodied negro men to use in repairing roads, and 
other Government labor. This was understood to 
be only the beginning of a general emancipation. 
The inevitable was at hand. 

In the latter part of August a fierce engagement 
took place between an advance detachment of 
Kirby Smith's forces and a portion of Gen. Wm. 
Nelson's army, under General Manson. In this 
the Federals were put to rout, with a loss of three 
hundred killed and three thousand five hundred 
prisoners. The Confederate loss was two hundred 
and fifty killed and five hundred wounded. Gen- 
eral Bragg entered Kentucky, September 5. He 
first encountered the Federals at Munfordville — 
three thousand five hundred men under General 
Wilder. After several skirmishes the Federals sur- 
rendered and were paroled. At Glasgow he issued 



CRUEL WAR. 



215 



a proclamation, September 18, offering the citi- 
zens " peace and protection." With Kirby Smith's 
force of ten thousand men, General Heth's nine 
thousand, and John Morgan's cavalry, Kentucky 
was pretty well occupied by Confederate forces. 
For six days General Heth threatened Cincin- 



t^ 







resi 



ciant lumcoln 



nati, waiting meanwhile for General Bragg; but 
General Lew Wallace, who held command of the 
militia there, gathered such a formidable force to 
meet him, that General Heth withdrew to Florence. 
Innumerable skirmishes were occurring ail over 
the State between the Confederates and the Home 



2l6 CRUEL WAR. 

Guards. The most desperate of these took place 
at Augusta, September 27. Colonel Basil Duke's 
regiment, with about three hundred and fifty cav- 
alrymen, undertook to cross the Ohio at Augusta, 
about forty miles above Cincinnati. Here they were 
opposed by a force of one hundred and twenty-five 
Home Guards under Colonel Joshua Bradford, who 
were stationed in brick houses. A block or two of 
these houses were burned before the Home Guards 
surrendered. Colonel Duke's loss was thirty-nine, 
killed and wounded. Among the killed was Wm. 
Courtland Prentice; a sad blow to his father, the 
editor of the " Louisville Journal," who had re- 
mained true to the Union even though both of his 
sons were in the Confederate Army. 

While General Bragg loitered along, gathering 
provisions for his half-famished army. General Buell 
swept past him into Louisville. On the fourth of 
October Bras^Qr bea^an to concentrate his forces at 
Lexington. The political elements gathered at 
Frankfort to inauajurate a successor to their un- 
fortunate "provisional governor," who fell at Shiloh. 
Richard Hawes of Bourbon was duly elected ; but 
his occupancy was unexpectedly curtailed, for in 
the midst of his inaugural address Buell's forces 
began to fire upon the town. 

General Bragg, finding it impossible to hold 
Kentucky against the strong Federal force which 



CRUEL WAR. 217 

had gathered to oppose him, began a retreat, neces- 
sarily slow, on account of the heavily-laden pro- 
vision wagons which he had collected in Kentucky. 
On the eighth of October Buell's forces attacked 
the Confederates at Perryville, about forty miles 
south of Frankfort. For four hours " the severest, 
most desperate battle ever fought on Kentucky 
soil," raged. Of the twenty-five thousand Federal 
troops — under Generals Alex. McCook, Lovell H. 
Rousseau, Jas. S. Jackson, Chas. C. Gilbert, Robert 
B. Mitchell, Phil H. Sheridan and Albin Schoepff 
— over four thousand were lost. Of the fifteen 
thousand Confederates, under Generals Wm. J. 
Hardee, Leonidas Polk, Wm. S. Cheatham, Simon 
B. Buckner, and Richard H. Anderson, three thou- 
sand five hundred were lost. Perceiving that re- 
inforcements had arrived. General Bragg hurried 
away, leaving his dead unburied. 

Both Bragg and Buell were severely blamed by 
their respective governments ; the one for not seiz- 
ing Kentucky and holding it; the other for letting 
the invading army get away, and especially with 
so much booty. Criticisms and fault-finding were 
going on all over the country. " The disloyalty 
of Kentucky " was freely discussed by both sec- 
tions. General Boyle at Louisville issued still 
more rigorous orders ; and the business of confis- 
cation was begun. Southern sympathizers were 



2l8 CRUEL WAR. 

forced to pay for property taken by the Confederate 
troops and "guerrillas." Horrible cruelties, too, 
were practised. At Cumberland Ford, in the 
southern part of the State, sixteen men, charged 
with being " bushwhackers," were hung by Con- 
federate pickets; and in Rockcastle County, nine 
Confederate soldiers were hung in retaliation. 

Besides John Morgan's Cavalrymen, there were 
numberless bands of " oruerrillas" dashino- over the 
country. They captured small detachments, took 
whatever they wanted, and destroyed camps, bridges, 
and railroads. Kentucky farmers usually owned 
from two to a dozen good saddle horses — and the 
"raiders" helped themselves liberally to fresh 
horses at the nearest stables. 

Although they managed to escape any heavy 
engagement, there were some serious skirmishes 
which helped to thin their ranks. Colonel John 
Dills, with his company of mountaineers, captured 
seventy-five Confederates and a number of wagons. 
Maj. Wm. McKinney put to rout forty at Calhoun, 
capturing twenty-five horses and killing two men. 
General Ransom defeated Colonel Woodward's 
force at Garrettsburg, killing sixteen and taking 
forty or fifty prisoners. Numberless other skir- 
mishes occurred. And then came the great four- 
days battle at Stone River, Tennessee, in which 
General John C. Breckenridge and nearly all the 



CRUEL WAR. 219 

Kentuckians in the Confederate Army were en- 
gaged. According to Mr. Collins, one thousand 
two hundred Kentuckians fell in that battle — nine 
hundred and eleven Federals and two hundred and 
eighty-nine Confederates. 

In January, 1863, President Lincoln issued his 
emancipation proclamation. Thereupon a number 
of the Kentucky officers in the Federal army re- 
signed. Governor James F. Robinson (acting in 
place of Governor Magoffin, who had resigned), 
Hon. Chas. A. Wickliffe, General John W. Finnell 
and others, endeavored to adjust matters with the 
President so that loyal Kentuckians might not 
suffer such a heavy loss without some compensa- 
tion. It proved to no purpose ; the time for such 
an arrangement had gone by. 

In the beginning of the war, the Government 
had solemnly promised that slavery should not be 
disturbed. The war, so the North had emphatically 
declared, was to be a war for the Union, and not 
for abolition. On this understanding many slave- 
holders of the border States, who had no wish to 
give up their slaves, had enlisted to put down the 
rebellion. Soon, however, the slaves were decided 
"contraband of war." They were put to service to 
dig and hew for the Federal army ; in the second 
year of the war, they were enlisted as soldiers ; and 
now they were declared free. 



Although anxious to conciliate his friends of the 
"border States," to whom his proclamation meant 
such heavy loss, the President said he *' would 
rather die than take back a word of it : " and he 
urged upon the Kentuckians the ad\-antages of 
his scheme for the gradual emancipation of their 
sla\-es. But it is hardly to be expected that people 
who are to lose thousands of dollars by a measure, 
should see it in the same light as those who will 
lose nothing. Neither could they then see that it 
was really the rebellion of the Southern States 
which had destroyed sla\-ery. Could the I'nited 
States Government cherish an institution condu- 
cive solely to the aid and comfort of its enemies 
— especially an institution which it despised 
and considered a blot upon its otherwise spotless 
character ? 

The "border States" were not included in the 
emancipation proclamation ; but even the sla\-es 
understood that their day of bondage in these 
United States was about over, and stood not upon 
the order of their going. Silently and in the night 
they stole away, solitary or in small family groups. 
Many a Kentucky household awoke in the morning- 
wondering at the strange silence throughout the 
house. Xo warm breakfast awaited them; no fires 
anywhere; the kitchen was cold and tenantless. 
What I even old Mammv s^one ? Even rheumatic 



CRUEL WAR. 223 

old Uncle Necl ? Poor, foolish old souls ! and the 
master and mistress smiled pityingly, even in their 
consternation at the unwonted tasks that lie before 
the deserters, for they knew how hard the long, 
rough road through the wilderness would seem to 
the ease-loving African natures. 

Sad times followed for both master and slave. 
Many cuts and bruises and burns for the tender 
hands toiling at the new tasks in the kitchen. 
Many a hungry day and cheerless night for the 
helpless freedmen who had turned themselves out 
into the wade, wide world of which they knew so 
little. 

Morgan took his leave of Kentucky, January the 
first, leaving his camp-fires burning at Lebanon, 
while the Federal troops were waiting to attack him 
in the morning; but Captain Thomas Hines still 
remained with his scouts, destroying railroads, 
burning Government stores, and "capturing" what- 
ever he could. And in February, Colonel Roy 
S. Cluke's regiment galloped over the State on the 
same destructive mission. The military authori- 
ties, who were now ruling the State with a rod of 
iron, hit upon the device of compelling Southern 
sympathizers to pay for the property thus de- 
stroyed ; and the homes of many inoffensive peo- 
ple were confiscated to repay losses for which they 
were in no way responsible. Soldiers presided at 



2 24 CRUEL WAR. 

the poles, and almost daily, tyrannical orders were 
being issued. 

" As it was," says Professor Shaler, " thousands 
of Union men, who had given their property and 
their blood to the cause of the Constitution, feel- 
ing that the laws and privileges for which they 
were fighting were in danger, by the action of the 
Federal officers, lost heart and their interest in the 
struggle. They had supposed that they were fight- 
ing, not for the victory of armies, but for the main- 
tenance of the laws; for the welfare of the country, 
and not for the supremacy of a political party that 
appeared to be willing to destroy the Common- 
wealth if it stood in the way of its purposes." But 
there was no resistance made to this harsh military 
rule, except in words. 

One pathetic incident connected with Morgan's 
first raid — one of a thousand as pathetic — may 
be recorded here. As Morgan approached Louis- 
ville one of his young soldiers turned aside for a 
moment to snatch a kiss and a blessing from the 
loving mother at home. The happy moments flew 
swiftly by ; just as the final farewell was spoken 
a party of Federal soldiers was seen approach- 
ing. In a moment the young cavalier was on 
his swift-footed horse and away. Over the fence 
and down the highway sped the fleet thorough- 
bred ; but the blue-coats were close on his heels ; a 



CRUEL WAR. 225 

sharp command, the flash of a half-dozen muskets, 
and the bold rider fell from his saddle, dead ! A 
few moments more and the mother receives her 
darling back again, a calm smile upon his face; 
and the soldiers, who had " only done their duty," 
rode away. 

Early in June, Morgan returned to Kentucky 
with about three thousand men. There were sev- 
eral sharp engagements — one at Tebb's Bend on 
Green River in which Colonel Orlando Moore with 
four hundred men, and a loss of only thirty, de- 
feated six hundred of Morgan's men, killing and 
wounding eighty-two ; another at Lebanon, in which 
Lieutenant-Colonel Hanson defended the town for 
seven hours, until overpowered and burned out by 
Morgan's cavalry; the Confederate loss here was 
twenty-five killed and thirteen wounded ; the Fed- 
eral, five killed, and one hundred thousand dollars 
worth of military stores destroyed ! There was 
still another at Bardstown in which twenty-six 
Federals, ensconced in a barn, held out a day and 
night, only surrendering at the approach of Mor- 
gan's artillery. After these and numerous smaller 
skirmishes, Morgan's entire force passed over 
into Indiana. From thence they crossed to Ohio, 
pillaging and destroying wherever they went, find- 
ing reckless enjoyment in the consternation and 
panic which this brief taste of war created. 



2 26 CRUEL WAR. 

Meanwhile a clay of reckoning was fast approach- 
ing; fifty thousand Ohioans were hunting them 
down. And at last, after twenty days of almost 
incessant riding, Morgan, finding himself sur- 
rounded by militia, and fenced off from the river 
by gun-boats, surrendered to General Shackleford 
at New Lisbon. Of his two thousand men only 
three hundred escaped into Virginia. Six months 
afterward, General Morgan and six of his Captains, 
Thos. H. Hines, Jacob C. Bennett, Ralph Shelden, 
Jas. D. Hockersmith, Gustavus S. McGee, and 
Sam. B. Taylor dug their way out of the Ohio 
penitentiary where they had been confined, and 
escaped into Kentucky; here Taylor and Shelden 
were captured and returned to the penitentiary. 
Twenty-six of Morgan's men w4io had been sent to 
Camp Douglas, Chicago, escaped by digging a 
tunnel under the fence surrounding the barracks. 

This remarkable raid was said to have been made 
for the purpose of diverting attention from the 
Confederate movements in Pennsylvania. But, 
after the desperate three-days battle at Gettysburg, 
in which the Confederates lost thirty-six thousand 
men, Lee and his army were forced to retreat. 
Then came the dreadful battle of Chickamauga; a 
victory which only exasperated, because it could 
not be followed up with the final crushing blow 
which might have made it of some use. After that 



CRUEL WAR. 227 

battle, we are told, the old fire died out of the Con- 
federates ; they fought on desperately, but without 
hope. 

Harry and Edmund Peterson, like many other 
Kentucky brothers, had gone separate ways. At 
the first demand for troops to put down the rebel- 
lion, the impulsive Edmund liad avowed his sym- 
pathy for the "poor, abused South." The air was 
full of battle. Company after company slipped 
away to one side or the other. Harry joined a 
company of Home Guards. His uniform was blue, 
and very becoming. " Are you going to fight the 
South ? " his brother asked. 

" I would fight any one who attempted to destroy 
this Union — which our fathers fought and died to 
establish." 

" A Union of tyrants and slaves ! " cried Edmund. 

"Yes; there are tyrants and slaves in it," re- 
turned Harry, regretfully. 

"Perhaps you will set yours free?" Edmund 
next remarked. 

" I may; yes, I think I will," was the reply. 

A few days afterward Edmund made his hasty 
adieus and rode away to the South ; to fight for 
liberty — for the whites — but slavery for the 
blacks. And soon his brother's company was or- 
dered into the field, to keep the Confederates at 
bay. Then the father and mother, left alone in the 



2 28 CRUEL WAK. 

great gray house set in the midst of verdant past- 
ures, to which they had retired in the hope of spend- 
ing their green old age in peace, saw that peace had 
flown forever from their Hves. It was a hard lot, 
but no harder than that of many of their neighbors. 
What wonder that the Union-loving fathers of Ken- 
tucky were so often loath to go into the field — to 
ficjht their sons and brothers and cousins, whose call 
had come from the South instead of the North ? 

Harry Peterson never went into battle without 
feeling a vague dread lest he should see the face of 
his brother among the enemies whom it was his 
duty to fight. But as time went on and he neither 
saw nor heard of Edmund, he concluded that his 
brother was in another part of the country, and 
ceased to look for him. After the victory of Chicka- 
mauga, the Confederates had been driven from 
Chattanooga, and then from " Lookout Mountain " 
and finally — wearied out by a long day's contest 
on " Missionary Ridge," pressed closer and closer 
by fresh Federal troops — they were forced again to 
fly. Harry Peterson was with these fresh troops 
when the Confederate lines began to break and the 
volleys grew fainter and fainter. 

Among the last to fly was an oflicer whom he 
had noticed before — always urging on his men. 
His gray uniform was covered with dust, his face 
besrimed with the smoke of battle. He was evi- 



CRUEL WAR. 



229 



dently wounded ; one more shot would probably 
finish him. Peterson fired that shot and had the 
satisfaction of seeing his enemy fall. By the time 
he had reached his victim the last gray-coat had 
vanished. Some unfathomable instinct caused him 
to stoop and look at the face more closely. The 
fantastic light of the dying day fell full upon it. 
Suddenly he turned cold and began to tremble. 
He pushed back his enemy's hat and looked more 
closely at the face. " Edmund ! "' 

The dying man looked up, but there was no 
springing light of affectionate recognition in his 
glance. A squad of soldiers passing by called out 
in loud, triumphant tones: " Victory! Come on! 
come on ! and get your ^ 

share of the glory." 

Glory ! and his only 
brother dying at his 
feet ! Victory ! and he 
had just murdered one 
whom he would have 
died to save from harm. 
" Edmund," he called 
persuasively. " Don't 
you know me, Edmund .? 
It's Harry." 

" I know," he mur- 
mured, with an effort, 




230 CRUEL WAR. 

" I know. That last shot — finished me, I am 
dying." 

" O no, Edmund ! " he tried to speak cheerfully, 
" I hope not. Let me see where you are wounded." 

" No use," panted the dying man. " Let me go 
in peace." 

" O, Edmund ! this will break mother's heart." 

" Tell her I was not afraid. I have done my 
best. I fought faithfully for the right — as I saw it. 
If I have made a mistake, God knows it . . . and 
he is merciful. He was always quicker to forgive 

— quicker to excuse fault — than his disciples. 
He knows our weakness — our fallibility." 

" Edmund," Harry's voice was hoarse with grief 
and pain, "it was I who killed you! I never once 
thouQ^ht of vou ; I had looked for vou so lono-. If we 
could only change places how happy I should be." 

'• Never mind, Harry. I know you wouldn't 
have harmed me for the world if you had known it. 
You only did your duty. A sad chance of this 
cruel war which might have been mine, just as well. 
Promise me you will never let them know it at 
home. It would make it so much harder for them 

— dear old father and mother! " His breath came 
shorter and shorter ; his words grew more and more 
indistinct. At length he looked up piteously in 
his brother's face. " O, Harry!" — a gasp or two 
more and all was over. 



CRUEL ]VAR. 231 

When the men came with stretchers to carry off 
the dead and wounded, they found Peterson bend- 
ing speechless, motionless, as if paralyzed, over the 
body of a dead Confederate ofificer. When it was 
known that it was his brother they said : " Poor 
fellow! " and then began to laugh and joke about 
death and the grave, and tell humorous anecdotes, 
and speak facetiously of " handing in their checks." 
War is a terrible hardener. Carnage and blood- 
shed, brutality and rapine, had become common 
and humorous themes. Nothing was too horrible 
to be made the subject of jest and merriment. 
The three years of war had done their work of de- 
moralization. Pity, sympathy and tenderness were 
well-nigh extinguished from hardened hearts. To 
say " they fought like devils " was the highest, most 
acceptable compliment you could bestow. The 
best soldier was the one who killed the most men. 
The happiest general was tlie one whose slain were 
counted by the thousands. Shouts of joy went up 
as the pale faces opposite them went down. 

But it was a " glorious war." The man who tried 
to keep out of it was called a coward, and it was 
said, " If he had one spark of honor he would be 
fighting for his country." Women, reading of the 
"glorious victories," and seeing the gallant troops 
on parade in their gala dress, were smitten with ad- 
miration for the work of slaughter, and sacrificed 



232 CRUEL WAR. 

their jewels, and denied themselves books and all 
means of culture, that they might help on the 
" sacred cause/' And almost daily thousands of 
souls went into eternity with murder in their hearts ; 
for the nation was smitten with an awful madness. 

A season of moral darkness had come upon our 
country, in which the very lights of heaven seemed 
to flicker and grow pale. A time of mourning, and 
of hideous rejoicing over death. A period of 
commercial stagnation, when the factories w^re 
silent because their workers had gone off to fight 
one another; when residences, store-houses, stables 
and barns were emptied by marauders, and earth's 
treasury ministered more to the destruction of life 
than to its preservation ; when there was more 
money made on musketry than on grain. 

In the great upheaval the lowest class came to 
the top. Burglaries by armed men were of com- 
mon occurrence. Travelers were robbed and often- 
times shot down on the highway. Peaceable 
citizens were mobbed and " burned out " for their 
" Union " sentiments, or arrested and thrown into 
prison for "sympathizing with the South." In the 
hitherto prosperous State of Kentucky the question, 
What shall we eat and wherewithal be clothed ? 
became one of serious import. 



CHAPTER X. 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 




LTHOUGH no great 
battles were fought in 
Kentucky in 1864 it 
was for that State the 
most trying year of 
the war; probably the 
severest in loss of life 
and certainly the most 
destructive to prop- 
erty. Besides the loss 
of slaves by conscriptionj and the confiscation of 
property by military order, there was a continual 
drainage by raiding guerrillas. These pests, who 
were at the last disowned and hunted down by both 
parties, swept over the State like a fire, or a plague 
of locusts. At no time during the year was the 
State entirely free from them. They seemed to 
regard the fattening herds and ripening grain of 
Kentucky as legitimate spoil. They plundered 
both parties alike and had no real connection with 
either army. 

233 



2 34 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

One of the most exasperating injustices of the 
war was holding " Southern sympathizers " respon- 
sible for outrages committed by the guerrillas, 
who claimed to be Southern soldiers. As there 
were no regular Confederate troops in Kentucky 
at this time, there was no opportunity for disprov- 
ing this assertion; and the first week in January 
Governor Bramlette issued a proclamation holding 
the " Southern sympathizers " responsible for all 
guerrilla raids, requesting military commandants 
to " arrest at least five prominent rebel sympathiz- 
ers for every loyal citizen taken by the guerrillas, 
and to hold them as hostages for the safe and 
speedy return of the loyal citizen." Where there 
were disloyal relatives of guerrillas, they should be 
the chief sufferers. " Let them learn that if they 
refuse to exert themselves actively for the assist- 
ance and protection of the loyal, they must expect 
to reap the just fruits of their complicity with the 
enemies of our State and people." A former Fed- 
eral officer himself. Governor Bramlette must have 
had implicit confidence in the military authorities, 
or he would never have entrusted them with un- 
limited authority over the personal liberty of citi- 
zens — leaving the selection of the victims to their 
discretion. 

At least, we may venture to suggest that, in 
reversing the Scriptural order, and visiting the 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 235 

iniquities of the sons upon the fathers, the Gover- 
nor transcended his authority. As the guerrilla 
bands were made up mainly of refugees from other 
States, few of the Kentucky fathers had to suffer 
in consequence of this order. 

A little farther on we find Governor Bramlette, 
as well as other prominent Unionists, resisting the 
conscription of negroes. When Federal officers 
began to recruit negro troops in the State, the 
Governor flatly declared that " no such recruiting 
would be tolerated here. Summary justice will be 
inflicted on any who attempt such unlawful pur- 
pose. Kentucky," he says proudly, " will furnish 
white men to fill the call upon her for more troops." 
Nor would she permit other States, who were " un- 
willing to meet the measure of duty by contributing 
their quota from their own population, to shelter 
from duty behind the free negro population of 
Kentucky." Only a few months previous, Secre- 
tary Seward had opposed a similar measure because 
it would "look like a call upon Ethiopia for help." 

Perhaps the Federal Colonel Frank Woolford de- 
fined the general feeling in the State at this time 
when he declared at Lexington in a speech, for 
which he was afterward arrested, that the people 
of Kentucky did not want to "keep step to the 
music of the Union alongside of negro soldiers ; it 
was an insult for which their free and manly spirits 



236 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

were not prepared." It is well known that this 
prejudice was not confined to Southern States. 
In 1863 it was dangerous for a negro soldier to 
show himself on the streets of New York. In six 
months a different feeling prevailed, in Kentucky 
as well as elsewhere. 

When Congress passed an act providing for the 
enrollment in the army of all able-bodied male 
slaves between twenty and forty-five, Governor 
Bramlette declared that " the citizen whose prop- 
erty was taken under a constitutional act will be 
entitled, by an imperative mandate of the Consti- 
tution, to a just compensation for his private prop- 
erty so taken for public use." 

So intense was the feeling in Kentucky against 
this measure, that President Lincoln addressed 
them a letter through Col. A. G. Hodges of P'rank- 
fort, in Vv^hich he stated for their benefit his reason 
for enrolling their slaves. He said : " I am natu- 
rally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing 
is wrong. . . . Yet I have never understood 
that the Presidency conferred on me the unre- 
stricted right to act officially on this feeling." He 
had taken the oath to preserve the Constitution. 
He understood that this oath even forbade him to 
indulge his own feeling on the question of slavery, 
yet imposed on him the duty of preserving the 
Government and Nation; and measures otherwise 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 



^?>7 



unconstitutional might become lawful by becoming 
indispensable to the preservation of the Constitu- 
tion and Nation. Early in the war when General 
Fremont proposed- military emancipation he had 
forbidden it ; a little later, when Secretary Cam- 
eron suggested arming the blacks, he again ob- 




jected; and still later he refused General Hunter. 
In 1862 he had made repeated earnest appeals to 
the border States to favor compensated emancipa- 
tion, to avert the necessity for military emancipa- 
tion. " They declined the proposition ; and I was, 
in my best judgment, driven to the alternative of 



238 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

either surrendering the Union or of laying a strong- 
hand upon the colored element. I chose the latter." 
By this the action had not lost, but gained one 
hundred and thirty thousand soldiers, seamen and 
laborers. 

The Kentuckians, though not placated, made 
the best of the situation ; and Governor Bramlette's 
next proclamation advised the people to submit 
quietly to the enrollment, and " trust the American 
people to do us the justice which the present Con- 
gress may not do." The President promised the 
Governor that no enlistment of negro soldiers 
should take place, " unless Kentucky failed to fur- 
nish her quota of white men." Kentucky's quota 
was filled but, in three months, we are told, over 
twelve thousand negroes were taken out of Ken- 
tucky and enlisted elsewhere. In July there was a 
demand on the State for five thousand additional 
troops for which a draft was ordered, but postponed 
" in view of the scarcity of labor and the fact that 
the citizens have so patriotically responded to the 
late call." Only a few counties failed to make up 
their quota without draft. 

The Adjutant-General's report shows that Ken- 
tucky had sent at this time about sixty thousand 
men into the Federal service. " Kentucky," Pro- 
fessor Shaler tells us, " furnished her full quota of 
troops for the Union army almost without boun- 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 239 

ties, and practically without a draft." Although 
her vote in i860 was only one hundred and fifty- 
one thousand the State furnished one hundred and 
seventy-six thousand Federal soldiers, besides the 
eleven thousand colored troops. At least fifty 
thousand were in the Confederacy. It is asserted 
that " the tabulated measurement of United States 
volunteers during the Civil War show that Ken- 
tucky and Tennessee soldiers exceeded all others in 
height, weight, circumference of head and chest and 
ratio of weight and stature." 

The chief military events of the year were 
Forrest's attack on Paducah, defended by Colonel 
Hicks with six hundred men, which resulted in the 
defeat of the Confederates, after two days of battle 
and a loss of about one hundred men on either 
side ; and Morgan's destructive raid through the 
central portion of the State. 

Morgan entered Kentucky June i, via Pound 
Gap. With two thousand four hundred men he 
galloped over the State, capturing in succession. 
Mount Sterling, Paris, Cynthiana and Williams- 
town. He tore up railroads, destroyed Govern- 
ment property and seized money and horses. Three 
regiments of mounted infantry, under Colonel John 
Mason Brown, Col. C. S. Hanson, and Col. David 
A. Mims attacked the raiders at Mount Sterling 
and after a desperate fight in which Morgan 



240 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

lost nearly four hundred men, killed, wounded 
and prisoners, and the Federals about eighty, the 
Confederates fled to Lexington. Here they seized 
ten thousand dollars from the Branch Bank of 
Kentucky, robbed citizens right and left, and re- 
tired to Fort Clay. Two days afterward they 
attacked Cynthiana, burned two hundred thousand 
dollars worth of property, and, intercepting a train, 
captured General Hobson and five hundred Fed- 
eral troops. At daylight the following morning 
the same force which had defeated them at Mount 
Sterling overtook them near Cynthiana and after 
an hour's desperate fighting, put them to flight. 
Three hundred of the raiders were killed and 
wounded, four hundred were taken prisoners and 
Hobson and his men released. The Federal loss 
was one hundred and fifty. 

Finding the Federal force too strong for him 
Morgan returned to Tennessee. He was surprised 
and surrounded at a private house near Greenville, 
September 4, and shot while attempting to escape. 
His methods of warfare have been seriously ques- 
tioned by military leaders, but personally he was 
loved and respected as a kind and upright gentle- 
man. That the Federal troops pursued the same 
methods, though not to such an extent, is well 
known. An order issued by General Burbridge 
September 14 says that he " is pained to learn that 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 24 1 

in various portions of his command, squads of 
Federal soldiers, and companies of men styling 
themselves 'State Guards,' ' Home Guards,' ' Inde- 
pendent Companies,' etc., are roving over the coun- 
try, committing outrages on peaceable citizens, 
seizing without authority their horses and other 
property." 

Martial law was proclaimed in the State July 5, 
on account of " the prevalence of Confederate and 
guerrilla raids;" and from that time until 1865, 
more and more stringent orders were issued; until 
the exasperated people finding their civil govern- 
ment overthrown, and the tyranny of military law 
unendurable, in desperation appealed to the Presi- 
dent. A heavy tax was imposed on the State, 
sufiRcient to arm, mount and pay five thousand 
troops for the Federal Army, notwithstanding that 
the Legislature had appropriated five million dol- 
lars for that purpose. Produce could be sold only 
to specified agents and at their prices. Horses 
were taken, " to be paid for when the owners should 
prove their loyalty." Women whose husbands or 
sons or brothers were in the Confederate Army 
were arrested and sent either to prison or to Canada. 
Soldiers presided at the polls and directed the 
elections to suit their own preferences ; and men 
were shot down for small offences, and without 
even the pretence of a trial. 



242 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

The violent measures of General Burbridge, and 
other military men, excited revolt even among the 
strongest friends of the Union. So out-spoken 
was their disapproval that many prominent Union- 
ists were arrested, and some of them banished to 
the Confederacy. Among these were Paul Ship- 
man, one of the leading editors of the Louisville 
Journal, Lieutenant-Governor Jacob, General John 
B. Huston, and Colonel Frank Woolford. 

Some of the tyrannical orders were revoked by 
the President ; and, at the request of the Governor 
for a military commission composed of "good, 
brave, just and fearless men " to inquire into the 
iniquities perpetrated by Federal officials in the 
western district of Kentucky, General Speed 
Smith Fry and Colonel John Mason Brown were 
appointed to investigate and pronounce judgment 
on the offenders. In consequence. General Eleazer 
Paine and other officers were removed. And in 
February, 1S65, General John M. Palmer was 
appointed to command in Kentucky instead of 
General Burbridge. 

General Palmer revoked the tyrannical trade 
regulations ; he restored the liberty of the press. 
(The people of Kentucky, Mr. Collins tells us, 
" with only one twenty-seventh of the population of 
the United States were paying one sixth of the 
direct revenue." ) Banished loyalists were allowed 




THE GREAT KENTUCKIAN, 

{Henry Clay at thirty-five.) 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 245 

to return : Confederate soldiers who were wilHns 
to swear allegiance to the United States were 
promised pardon : a tighter rein was drawn upon 
the military forces, and the fetters of the civilians 
were relaxed. The guerrillas were hunted down 
with such determined energy that the most des- 
perate companies were broken up, and their lead- 
ers executed — among these the notorious Sue 
Munday (Jerome Clark), a young man of twenty, 
whose girlish beauty had led to his being mistaken 
for a woman. The Confederate troops under Major 
Walker Taylor united with the Federals in hunt- 
ing down the guerrillas. 

In February the Thirteenth Amendment to the 
Constitution was rejected by the Legislature. The 
Governor's message suggested that " as England, 
in the Act of 1833 abolishing slavery, appropriated 
twenty million pounds to compensate the owners, 
our Government would surely not be less just ; espe- 
cially if the assessed value of 1864 (^34,179,246) be 
accepted by the State — the valuation of i860 
being three times that sum. Resolutions were 
offered urging an earnest effort to obtain compen- 
sation for the slave-property, but were rejected by 
the majority. The Kentuckians certainly under- 
stood that slavery was at an end, although they 
refused to express any approval of the manner of 
its extinction. 



246 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

The Southern horizon had steadily darkened 
and narrowed, until now very little of its territory 
remained unoccupied by Federal troops. The 
Confederate armies, depleted by continual battle, 
numbered only one hundred and seventy-five thou- 
sand men, to the one million Federal troops. 

General Lee was a man of invincible courage, 
but he knew when he was conquered. On the 
ninth of April, 1865, he surrendered the remnant 
of his army, less than twenty-eight thousand men, 
at Appomattox Court House, Va. And on the 
thirteenth the Southerners stacked their guns and 
covered the heap with their tattered flags, which 
some of them bent to kiss in sad farewell. 

On the thirteenth also General Joseph E. John- 
ston surrendered the remainder of his army ; and 
Federal and Confederate came home together. 
They came to fight guerrillas and the military 
tyrants who were not willing to admit that a State 
containing so many rebels — even though it had 
held to the Union through immeasurable difficul- 
ties — was to be trusted with its own government. 

On the evening of Johnston's surrender President 
Lincoln requested the band gathered in front of 
the White House to play " Dixie," saying that he 
had always thought it one of the best songs he 
ever heard, and that he considered that it had 
been fairly captured from the rebels. It was his 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 247 

last speech ; the following evening he was assassi- 
nated. There was sincere mourn insj throuorhout 
Kentucky, where he had many warm personal 
friends. Public ofiBces were draped in mourning, 
and, at the hour of his funeral, long processions 
marched through the streets. 

Harry Peterson returned to his home with a 
heavy heart. The family circle was broken by 
death and by estrangement. The house had been 
stripped by Union soldiers; the finest horses had 
been "pressed into service" for the Union; the 
herds had gone to feed Union soldiers; the word 
" Union " was a sore word to all. His father 
had been arrested and kept in prison for "sympa- 
thizing " with the South. All that the household 
knew of the Federal soldier was to his disadvan- 
tage. They loved the defeated South all the more 
for its misfortunes; and disliked the victorious 
North all the more for its triumph. 

They received Harry rather coldly. His party 
was responsible for all their losses. They con- 
sidered that he had disgraced himself in deserting 
the traditions of the family. Never before had 
there been in the Cabell family, in all its various 
ramifications, an "Abolitionist": for that in the 
family opinion was what their Federal soldier had 
proved to be. The Keiths too, had all gone with 
the South. 



248 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

To suffer for one's country changes one's feel- 
ings entirely. To hear the old flag abused, to 
listen to contemptuous, angry words against the 
Union, was sometimes hard to endure. But Harry 
remembered his father's sufferings, past and pres- 
ent; he respected his broken health and fortunes, 
and held his tongue. Trade regulations had ruined 
the pork business ; the establishment had been sold 
for almost nothing ; only the farm was left. He 
had neither the experience, strength nor taste for 
agricultural pursuits, necessary to success in farm- 
ing. The rich fields were choked with weeds ; the 
vacant pastures overrun with briers. 

Harry went to work quietly and determinedly to 
make the most of the farm. When he had hired 
what " hands " he could and set them to work, he 
reopened his law office in the city. His father 
took little interest in the narrow calculations, the 
petty economies of this day of small things. The 
old gentleman found little except discomfort in the 
new order that had come in. Harry's mother too 
found it hard to adjust her old tastes and habits 
to their altered fortunes. The lavish hospitality, 
easy and pleasant in the slavery days, now became 
a 2:rievous burden. Yet there was no thoug^ht of 
discontinuing it. What pleasure was there in 
home and comfort if they could not be shared 
with friends and neighbors ? 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 



249 



To the right of the Petersons' lived a Confederate 
colonel who had come home and gone to work to 
redeem the losses induced by his rebellion — little 
heavier to him than were those of the Union 
general on the left. Colonel Marston's uniform 
was a trifle more dilapidated than General Farlie's; 
that was about all. Mr. Peterson went over to call 
on the old general, and found him trying to plow 
with one of his carriage horses, which, on account 
of its venerable age, had escaped military service. 
The old horse who knew as little of the business 
as the general, and had as little liking for it, was 
prancing about in high disgust, sometimes jerking 
the plow over the surface of the ground, sometimes 
sticking it fast into the 
soil ; and the general, 
clinging desperately to 
the handles of the 
plow, found himself un- 
able to manage both 
horse and plow at the 
same time. 

Mr. Peterson did not 
feel called upon to pay 
a welcoming call to his 
Confederate neighbor, 
but his son did. The 
colonel had two accom- 




It i'OST-OFFICE. 



250 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

plished daughters ; perhaps it was the remembrance 
of certain pleasant evenings spent in the society 
of the two young ladies which induced his forgiv- 
ing frame of mind. He deserted his ofifice one 
afternoon and w^ent over rather early, thinking to 
have a game of croquet. 

On one side of the drive, that led up to the 
house, was a rustic spring-house. Here Harry 
found the two young ladies, with two tubs, trying 
to do the family wash. " Aunt Ailsie " had fallen 
ill and Dinah with prospect of double duty 
had " resigned." The young ladies received him 
with heis^htened color, not on account of their 
occupation, but on account of the rather dishevelled 
condition of their toilette. Sleeves were tucked 
up, dresses were pinned back milk-maid fashion, 
and the abundant tresses were huddled rather 
wildly on top of the shapely heads. 

He asked if the colonel was at home; and the 
colonel, when found, glowered at him so suspi- 
ciously that Harry pretended to be in search of 
sheep to buy. As the colonel was in sad need of 
funds and quite anxious to sell all the sheep he had, 
he immediately became quite friendly. Harry 
bought the sheep — which he did not want — and 
drove them home, in a vague effort at placing him- 
self on a footing with the laundry maids. 

Harry's efforts at friendliness were not lost on 



CLOSE OF THE WAR. 25 1 

the colonel's family. The young ladies were quite 
gracious when, one evening a week or two after- 
ward, he called again ; especially Aimee. Alice 
was more reserved. 

" I would like to bring my friend. Lieutenant 
Scoville, some evening, if you have no objection," 
he said as he was leaving; " I think you would like 
him." 

Lieutenant Scoville was a New Yorker who had 
purchased the confiscated estate of a rebel neigh- 
bor, and was rather too prosperous a man to be 
popular in this war-scarred community. He had 
lost nothing ; indeed, it was whispered that he had 
made money out of the " great trouble." There 
was dignity and distinction in having suffered for 
one's country — or at least for one's principles. 
The man who had dared to make money out of 
his country's calamities was altogether despicable. 

" Excuse me," said Alice haughtily, " I would 
rather not know him." 

"Alice," exclaimed Aimee, "it isn't fair to 
blame him for fighting the South. Everybody 
can't see alike. If you had been brought up in 
the North you would have believed that the Union 
was a great thing, too." 

" I know I should have had better sense. It 
seems to me any one might see the corruption and 
tyranny that are at the bottom of the Federal Gov- 



252 CLOSE OF THE WAR. 

ernment. It was only to humiliate and impoverish 
the South that they fought. And I would a thou- 
sand times rather be the defeated South than the 
cruel, bigoted North." 

" There is no stronger Union man than your 
great favorite, Dr. Breckinridge ; and two of his 
sons fought in the Union Army," said Aimee. 

"Yes; but the other two fought on the Southern 
side; Dr. Breckinridge himself lost a good deal 
by the war ; and I don't believe but he was sorry 
enough about it. Besides we all know that Dr. 
Breckinridge is a good and noble man." 

When Mr. Harry Peterson next called at Colonel 
Marston's he was not accompanied by Lieutenant 
Scoville. But subsequently Alice met him else- 
where, and on further acquaintance her opinion of 
him was modified to that extent that when Harry 
and Aimee were married, there was a double wed- 
ding, in which the other contracting parties were 
Alice Marston and Lieutenant Scoville. 



CHAPTER XI. 



WITHOUT SLAVERY. 




HE war was over. 
That is, Kentucky 
thou2:ht it was over. 
She settled down 
to resume her plow- 
shares and pruning 
hooks in a very peace- 
ful frame of mind. It 
had not been her war; 
she had kept out of it, 
and fought against it, until all the country began 
to cry out, " Coward ! " Until all her young, high- 
spirited sons had slipped away into one army or 
the other. Until the great storm rushed in upon 
her, banishing peace and tranquillity, and filling her 
ears with the cries and groans of her children and 
her countrymen. Assailed on every hand, had she 
not held fast to the Union ? And when she found 
that the fearful contest was inevitable what other 
State had given more freely of her substance and 
her service ? Had she not, from the very first, 

253 



2 54 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

shown herself honorable, equitable, in the highest 
degree trustworthy ? 

Then, upon what ground could it be declared 
that, in this land of peace and good-will, a " Freed- 
men's Bureau " was necessary to secure the ex- 
slaves their just rights? And, worse still, that the 
presence of negro troops was required to enforce 
the laws ? But these were only fair examples of 
the indignities which, from the very beginning, had 
been inflicted upon Kentucky; a mere instance of 
the political tyranny she had been, habitually, called 
upon to endure. Was she not eminently a loyal 
State? Had she ever — even under the most ex- 
asperating circumstances — rebelled against the 
Government ? No ! 

Very well, then. When this meddlesome Bureau 
— this expensive, unwise, utterly useless " Freed- 
men's Bureau," which sometimes even drew down 
official rebuke for its " abuse of power " — was 
entirely abolished ; when the negro troops were 
withdrawn; when justice was really done the 
State — then should colored citizens be admitted 
to the civil courts on ec|ual terms witli their white 
fellow-countrymen ; not an instant before. Thus 
Kentucky reasoned. Tbrougli the seven years 
of the Bureau's continuance this contest between 
its officers and those of the civil courts continued. 

In February, 1866, the Legislature passed an act 



WITHOUT SLAVERY. 255 

rendering invalid any election decided by military 
interference, and the seats of members so elected 
were declared vacant. It also politely requested 
President Johnson to remove the Freedmen's 
Bureau, claiming to have enacted laws for the 
colored population " characterized by justice and 
humanity, suited to their present condition and 
necessary and proper for their welfare." Further- 
more, it petitioned for a revocation of the presi- 
dential order suspending the privilege of the 
habeas corpus writ. 

The President declared Kentucky free from mar- 
tial law, but the Freedmen's Bureau was retained ; 
and the writ of habeas corpus, which had been sus- 
pended by Lincoln in 1863, was still withheld, 
though Kentucky was the only " border State " to 
which it was yet denied. 

The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments 
were both rejected by the Kentucky Legislature, 
which resolved that the people of Kentucky were 
unalterably opposed to negro suffrage, " whether 
limited or special, general or qualified ; " and it 
" most earnestly opposed the extension of such 
suffrage in any State or territory." The general 
opinion was that the ballot should be withheld 
from the present generation of freedmen — who in 
their helpless ignorance would become mere tools 
in the hands of unprincipled office-seekers — and 



>56 



W I THOU I' SLAVERY, 



given to their sons, who would be taught and 
trained for the high privilege and power of 
suffrao^e. 

o 

During the seven years which the obnoxious 
Bureau continued its unwelcome interference 
between the colored people and their employers, 




then%l5.lnj- 






Frofn ^^F^"ctv/^e by F^bty XKurrv 

cf 



.ter 



[ck .xli 



of tKe 



^roml/^rginu 



\L e^rly pettier; y^^^^^^ 



the State retained her laws limiting the testimony 
of the negro in the courts, repealing them as 
soon as the Bureau was abolished. The years 
brought their changes — in feeling as well as in 
circumstances — and the real affection existing 
between the two races dwelling in such close 



WITH0U2' SLAVERY. 257 

juxtaposition acted as a strong force in lifting the 
freedman to a higher spiritual plane. 

The expenses of the "Freedmen's Bureau" for 
1869 are given as one hundred and ten thousand 
dollars, forty-one thousand dollars of which repre- 
sented salaries. It secured employment for the 
shiftless and improvident, and in some portions of 
the impoverished South, served greatly to lighten 
the sore burden of educatinor the illiterate mass 

o 

of new-made voters, by selling public lands, and 
appropriating the proceeds to colored schools. 

Kentucky's system of securing a fund for colored 
schools was by appropriating all the taxes paid by 
them to the education of their children. At the 
State Educational Convention of colored people, 
February, 1873, the following resolutions were 
passed, which speak for themselves: 

Resolved — First: " That we most earnestly request there 
be no special legislation in the State of Kentucky for colored 
people ; since it is humiliating to us, detrimental to the finance 
of the State, and contrary to sound policy. 

Second : That we sincerely believe that citizens in general of 
Kentucky are as ready to accord equal school privileges to the 
colored people of the State, as colored people are to receive 
those privileges. 

Third : That it is our aim ever to labor honestly, earnestly, 
and amicably, to secure equal educational privileges in common 
with citizens of Kentucky, and with citizens of the United 
States, and to show ourselves worthy of the same." 



258 WITH0U2' SLAVERY. 

In the Southern Educational Convention, in 
1877, the following resolution was passed — which 
also speaks for itself : 

Resolved, " That, as the educational laws of the several 
States represented by us make no discrimination in favor of, or 
against, the children of any class of citizens ; and as those 
charged with the administration of these laws have endeavored, 
in the past, to have them carried into effect impartially, so do 
we pledge ourselves to use our influence to secure even-handed 
justice to all classes of citizens in the application of any educa- 
tional funds provided by the National Government," 

Meantime, as an off-set to the " Freedmen's 
Bureau," a band of would-be " regulators " calling 
itself the " Ku-Klux Klan " had sprung up in the 
South. It was a sort of residuum, or dregs, left 
behind from the great upheaval and was ostensibly 
designed for the intimidation of lawless negroes, 
who, in some localities, had organized a regular 
system of marauding, which the civil authorities 
were unable to restrain. At first these " regula- 
tors," as they styled themselves, restricted their 
operations to the negro thieves and incendiaries 
whom their mysterious mummeries were designed 
to terrorize. But the morals of the white as well 
as the colored people had become relaxed by their 
experience of war, and when the evil committed by 
these self-elected regulators came to over-balance 
the good they accomplished, the law laid its heavy 



WITHOUT SLAVERY. 259 

hand upon them, and swept away this last vestige 
of the ills resulting from the war. In September, 
1867, these "regulators" were warned by Governor 
Stevenson that " the Executive could not tolerate 
any such association of men, but would see that 
they were brought to condign punishment." 

The officers of the law and the grand juries were 
not long in unravelling the Ku-Klux mysteries 
when once they set about it ; and soon these 
organized bands of outlaws — the natural product 
of lawless processes for extinguishing evil — were 
broken up and dispersed. 

Although Kentucky spent several years in adapt- 
ing herself to her changed circumstances, making 
little progress in material prosperity, she recuper- 
ated more readily than did any other slave State. 
At no time had she been too poor to help others 
who were in need of assistance. This the Legisla- 
tive " resolutions of thanks " from various othei 
States will amply attest. 

Many of the great farms were cut up into smaller 
ones and sold, or let " on the shares " ; frequently 
to the slaves who had formerly tilled them for 
nothing. The country gentleman no longer lived 
like an English lord. A Kentucky farmer was no 
better now than a lawyer, a doctor, or a merchant. 

War, like the duello, has fallen into disrepute, 
in Kentucky as well as in other portions of the 



26o WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

civilized world. Those who saw the war on their 
own lands have no desire to see it again ; having 
discovered that its " pomp and circumstance " 
exist more in the imagination than in the reality. 
But national politics is still a subject of living 
interest to the average Kentuckian. Many a 
plain farmer might astonish Mr. Gladstone with 
his knowledge of the Irish question and his intel- 
ligent appreciation of the problem of Home Rule ; 
or perhaps amaze the great Prince Bisniarck with 
his clear apprehension of the forces required in his 
manipulation of the German Empire. 

An easy and convenient method of accounting 
for everything that is large and national in the 
tone of Kentucky politics is to ascribe all to the 
influence of Henry Clay. It is true the influence 
of that vivid mind endures even to the present day, 
not only in Kentucky, but throughout the United 
States. But had the atmosphere and environ- 
ments of the Kentucky home nothing to do with 
the moulding and directing of his large and 
generous nature ? Even the pioneers in their 
brief respites from fighting the Indians and 
" subduing the earth " managed to keep watch, 
not only upon the movements of their far-away 
Legislature, but also of Congress ; turning an 
interested eye now and then upon England, 
whom they had forgiven ; upon Spain, whom 



WITHOUT SLAVERY. 261 

they distrusted ; and upon France, whom they 
admired. 

Indeed, a Httle deeper study of local politics — 
which is far more likely to be corrupt than are the 
national — would doubtless tend greatly to purify 
and ennoble American politics. The social South- 
ern custom, always prevalent, of discussing every- 
thing tends to promote a healthy mental vitality 
which the mere book-student lacks ; and, now that 
large libraries are becoming common, there is no 
reason why Kentucky should not take her turn in 
literary supremacy as she has in pioneering, in 
statesmanship and in material productions. It has 
been said that Kentuckians buy very few American 
copyright books ; the truth is, however, that she 
purchases from Eastern booksellers and con- 
tributes comparatively little to the support of 
first-class book-stores within her own pleasant 
boundaries. 

As a repetition of the commendations of others 
is not so reprehensible as complimenting one's self, 
it may be pardonable to make copious extracts 
from Mr. Charles Dudley Warner's very interest- 
ing article on Kentucky in Harper's Magazine 
for January, 1889. He describes the State as "a 
great self-sustaining empire lying midway in the 
Union, and between the North and the South — 
never having yet exactly made up its mind whether 



262 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

it is North or South." " In this empire," he tells 
us, "prodigal nature has brought together nearly 
everything that a highly civilized society needs ; 
the most fertile soil, capable of producing almost 
every variety of product for food or for textile 
fabrics ; mountains of coal and iron ores and lime- 
stone ; streams and springs everywhere ; almost all 
sorts of hard wood timber in abundance. Nearly 
half the State is still virgin forest of the noblest 
trees, oaks, sugar-maple, ash, poplar, black walnut, 
linn, elm, hickory, beech, chestnut, red cedar. The 
climate may honestly be called temperate. . . . 

" Kentucky is loved of its rivers. It can be seen 
by their excessively zigzag courses how reluctant 
they are to leave the State, and if they do leave it 
they are certain to return. . . . Kentucky is 
an old State with an old civilization. It was the 
pioneer in the great western movement of popula- 
tion after the Revolution. . . . When the State 
came into the Union in 1792 — the second admitted 
— it was the equal in population and agricultural 
wealth of some of the original States that had been 
settled one hundred and fifty years. . . . Civiliza- 
tion made a great leap over nearly a thousand miles 
into the open garden spot of Central Kentucky, and 
the exploit is a unique chapter in our frontier de- 
velopment. Either no other land ever lent itself so 
easily to civilization as the blue-grass region, or it 



4-^ 




W/TH0U2' SLAVERY. 265 

was exceptionally fortunate in its occupants. They 
formed, almost immediately, a society distinguished 
for its amenities, for its political influence, pros- 
perous beyond precedent in farming, venturesome 
and active in trade, developing large manufactures, 
especially from hemp, of such articles as could be 
transported by river, and sending annually through 
the wilderness road to the East and South immense 
droves of cattle, horses and swine." 

Of the blue-grass country he says : " I must 
confess that all I had read of it, all the pictures I 
had seen, gave me an inadequate idea of its beauty 
and richness. So far as I know, there is nothing 
like it in the world. . . . One may drive a 
hundred miles north or south over the splendid 
macadam turnpikes, behind blooded roadsters, at 
an easy, ten-mile gait, and see always the same 
sight — a smiling agricultural paradise with scarcely 
a foot in fence corners, by the roadside, or in low 
grounds, of uncultivated, uncared-for land." 

Western Kentucky is very little behind the 
famous central portion. Bowling Green, Paducah, 
Owensboro, Hopkinsville and Henderson have 
each almost doubled in population since the war, 
increasing with equal rapidity in wealth. The 
best lands of Kentucky are, of course, high-priced, 
but in the southeastern portions there were large 
tracts of indifferent land which the Swiss and 



266 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

German dairy-farmers, cheese-makers and grape- 
culturists have bought, at from one dollar to five 
dollars per acre, and transformed into neat, cheer- 
ful, thrifty settlements. 

In the eastern, mountainous region, there are a 
few rich valleys ; but the larger portion of this 
rugged section of the State, though exceedingly 
picturesque, with its lovely, wild ravines, glowing 
with many-hued blossoms, its vast forests of huge, 
broad-leaved trees, and winding, crystal streams, 
is of indifferent soil and hard to cultivate. Here 
two classes are growing up side by side. The 
laro^er and better class are of Ens^lish, Scotch-Irish 
and German origin ; honest, courageous, kindly. 
A sombre-minded, liberty-loving people, they kept 
retreatine before advancinq; civilization, until at 
last they lodged among the least accessible lands 
of the country, where they have continued to vege- 
tate in solemn, self-respecting ignorance, even until 
the present day; a hospitable, gentle-mannered peo- 
ple, yet fierce and reckless when thoroughly aroused. 
" Many of them," so says Mr. Gilmore (" Edmund 
Kirke ") — and he knows them well — "bear the 
names, and have in their veins the blood of 
statesmen and heroes who will be forever hon- 
ored in border history ; but, alas ! the fine gold 
has become dim, and all their great qualities have 
been smothered under a mass of ignorance and 



WITH0U2' SLAVERY. 267 

superstition that is painful to contemplate. But 
the greatness is still there. Latent in them are all 
the materials of a magnificent manhood." Only 
religious and literary culture are needed, we are 
assured, to call it forth. 

The second class, of which there are only a few 
in the Kentucky mountains, are a sallow, gypsy- 
like people, of unknown origin ; idle, vicious, thor- 
oughly conscienceless, and " far more incorrigible " 
than either the Indian or the negro. " Whenever 
you read in the newspapers about those terrible 
vendettas which have disgraced the country," says 
Mr. Andrew Ewing (for many years one of the 
most eminent lawyers of Tennessee), " you will, on 
inquiry, find that nine out of every ten of them are 
traceable to this class or race of men." It was 
from these that the guerrilla companies which in- 
fested the country during the war, were composed. 

" The two classes," to quote again from Mr. 
Gilmore, " are of very marked and decidedly oppo- 
site characteristics. One labors ; is industrious, 
hardy, enterprising ; a law-abiding and useful citi- 
zen ; the other does not labor ; is thieving, vicious, 
law-breaking, and of ' no sort of account ' to his 
family or to society." 

Of the first class Boone, Kenton, Davy Crockett, 
Sam Houston, Andrew Johnson, Calhoun, Lincoln, 
and many other famous men, were descended. 



268 WITH0U2' SLAVERY. 

Judge Hargis, formerly Chief-Justice of Kentucky, 
was one of them. " Education, and the opportuni- 
ties of civilization," says Judge Hargis, " are the 
pressing wants of the mountain people. They are 
truthful and personally honest. In the United 
States courts they do equivocate ; but even there 
they do not lie outright. They will not perjure 
themselves as people elsewhere often do. They 
try to conceal a fact, perhaps, and talk around a 
question, but even in a moonshine case, a witness 
will tell the truth in the main." 

In the civil war this sturdy, honest people fought 
for the Union; previous to that time they knew 
nothing of pistols and bowie-knives. The local war 
between themselves and the guerrillas which raged 
at that time, first accustomed them to blood-shed ; 
and the feuds then created by outrages perpetrated 
in the name of patriotism, endure even to the pres- 
ent day. 

Mr. Warner's method of accounting for their 
choleric, contentious disposition is both novel and 
kindly. He says : " In a considerable part of East- 
ern Kentucky (not, I hear, in all) good wholesome 
cooking is unknown, and civilization is not possible 
without that. ... I have no doubt that the abom- 
inable cookery of the region has much to do with 
the lawlessness, as it visibly has to do with the 
poor physical condition." 



WITHO UT SLA VER Y. 2 69 

Kentucky has not been indifferent to the fact 
that these neglected people are helping to make 
her history. The question of their uplifting and 
enlightenment has long been one of serious and 
earnest consideration with her statesmen and her 
Christian people. Much good has already been 
done by missionaries and teachers. But these few 
mountain counties of Kentucky are only a very small 
part of an extensive field extending all along the 
Cumberland and Alleghany mountains, including 
two million souls, of which not a fiftieth part are 
Kentuckians. 

Recent developments of rich mineral resources 
in this eastern portion of Kentucky — the opening 
of mines, the establishing of manufactories, and the 
pushing through of railroads, bringing in enterprise 
and civilization — are already changing the character 
of its inhabitants. Yet, without the refining, en- 
nobling influences of true Christianity, the change 
can bring them little permanent spiritual good. 

The value of the coal deposit in Eastern Ken- 
tucky is exceeded only by that of Pennsylvania. 
It is easily mined, and the supply equals that of 
Great Britain. The cannel coal is proved, by ex- 
perts, to excel in purity and richness the best in 
Great Britain. A bed of excellent coking coal 
of one thousand six hundred square miles stretches 
over Letcher, Pike and Harlan Counties, its pro- 



270 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

duct being superior, it is said, to the far-famed coke 
of Connellsville. As valuable iron ore is found in 
the vicinity of the coal beds the smelting is done 
on the spot. 

The State stretches out in gentle undulations, 
forming a natural system of drainage, until it 
reaches the eastern border, where it breaks into 
the rugged upheaval called, by one of the early 
adventurers into Kentucky, the Cumberland Mount- 
ains, in honor of the English Duke of Cumberland. 
The fertility of the soil, in the richer portions of 
the State, is inexhaustible ; but a good deal of 
the land has been worn by careless tillage, though 
not exhausted beyond redemption. 

As an example of the State's various agricultural 
capacities. Prof. N. S. Shaler has given, in his valu- 
able book, The Commonwealth of Kentucky, a 
table showing the varied products in which Ken- 
tucky has, in successive decades, been foremost 
among the States. In 1840 she was first in wheat; 
in 1850 first in maize, flax and hemp ; in i860 first 
only in hemp, but second in many other things ; 
in 1870 first in tobacco and hemp. " The death- 
rate," he adds, " is lower than in any other State 
from which goes forth each year a great tide of 
the younger people ; and pauperism is almost 
unknown." 

A Bureau of Immio^ration has been established 



k 



WITHOUT SLAVERY. 271 

at Frankfort, under the direction of Professor John 
R. Proctor, State Geologist, who answers with care 
all questions in regard to the material resources 
of the State. Since the war, at least three hun- 
dred thousand dollars have been expended by the 
State in careful geological examination. This has 
resulted richly in scientific as well as material 
discoveries. 

The numerous mounds, with which some por- 
tions of the State abound, show that, ages ago, 
a race of mound-builders once inhabited this 
region. Professor Rafinesque in his Ancient His- 
tory ; or. Annals of Kentucky, endeavors to prove 
that these early inhabitants were people of a 
superior order of intelligence. But careful re- 
search has shown that these mound-builders were 
of the same class and order as the ordinary savage 
from whom the pioneers had to defend themselves 
in the first settlement of the country. 

Mention should be made of the petroleum wells 
in Eastern Kentucky that have been in operation 
for years; of the wide variety of building stone to 
be found in almost every county — the brown stone 
having been awarded the highest medal at the 
Centennial Exposition of 1876; of the fine pottery 
clays, the value of which is only beginning to be 
appreciated ; the fine white sand of Muldraugh's 
Hill, from which the finest of glass is manufac- 



2-2 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

tured ; the salt wells; the natural gas; and the 
manifold other rich resources which have recently 
attracted the attention of so many American and 
European capitalists. In 1885-86 the mining and 
manufacturing investments reached $46,707,200. 
This total was $20,022,200 in excess of Alabama, 
the most progressive of the Southern States in 
mining and manufacturing. 

The census of 1880 ranks Kentucky as the four- 
teenth State in the Union in the assessed value of 
property, and the thirty-fifth in the amount of taxa- 
tion per capita. " Although thirty-four States tax 
their people a higher amount per capita," says ex- 
Governor J. Proctor Knott, " only four others appro- 
priate anything like the same proportion of their 
revenues to educational purposes." 

The first railroad west of the Alleghanies was 
the Lexington branch of the Louisville and Nash- 
ville road, begun in 1831 and completed in 1835 — 
running from Lexington to Frankfort, and finished 
to Louisville in 1851. Now, a perfect network of 
railroads traverse Kentucky in every direction, 
making connection with the entire railway sys- 
tems of the East, the South and the West; several 
new lines have pushed their way through the long- 
neglected mountainous regions in the eastern por- 
tion of the State. 

A fuller account of the resources and develop- 



WITHO Ur SLA I 'ER Y. 



273 



ment of Kentucky, and the commercial progress of 
her chief city may be obtained from The City of 
Louisville and a Glimpse of Kentucky, published 
by the Louisville Board of Trade in 1887. This 
volume gives the population of Louisville at two 
hundred thousand ; the exact figures of the esti- 
mate are 195,910. The annual death rate per one 
thousand inhabitants is seventeen — lower than any 
other city of the same size in the Union. 

There are one hundred and forty-two churches in 
Louisville; thirty-three public schools, with over 
four hundred teachers, and nearly seventeen thou- 
sand pupils; four medical colleges, two schools of 
pharmacy and one of dentistry, besides numerous 
private seminaries and 
parochial schools. 
There are five social 
clubs, two of which are 
elegantly established. 
The Board of Trade and 
the Commercial Club, 
occupy handsome build- 
ings, and their twelve 
hundred members rep- 
resent considerable ^ 
wealth and enterprise. 

The Young Men's 
Christian Association 




THOROUGHBRED. 



2 74 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

has a large and active membership ; it is supplied 
with libraries, reading-rooms and gymnasium, and 
has two branches — one for German-speaking citi- 
zens, the other for railroad employes. There are 
thirty-eight charitable institutions, hospitals, infirm- 
aries, asylums, et.c. There are also five theatres ; 
numerous public halls; and two driving parks, 
besides the celebrated race-course on Churchill 
Downs. 

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 
which removed to Louisville in 1877, is a prosper- 
ous and justly-celebrated school, numbering among 
its pupils the representatives of many other de- 
nominations. It now occupies a new building 
which cost about three hundred thousand dollars, 
and grows yearly in fame and prosperity. The 
Kentucky School for the Blind, under the skillful 
management of Prof. B. B. Huntoon, has become 
one of the finest in the country. The superior 
printing done by its pupils secured for the school 
the establishment of the Government Printing 
House, which furnishes books for the public 
schools for the blind throughout the United States. 
There is a State University for colored pupils with 
a theological and a law department attached. 

The library of the Polytechnic Society which con- 
tains forty thousand volumes, is open to the public, 
except when the privilege of removing books from 



WITHOUT SLAVERY. 275 

the building is desired, when a small annual fee is 
required. The society has also a free art gallery, 
and an extensive laboratory. There are an unusual 
number of extensive private libraries throughout the 
State ; the historical library of Col. R. T. Durrett 
being the largest and most valuable in the West 
or South. 

The Baptists were the religious pioneers of 
Kentucky. They still maintain the majority in 
membership and churches. The Methodist, Presby- 
terian, Christian and Episcopal churches have each 
a strong hold upon the State. The Catholics were 
mainly from Maryland. Bancroft says of them : 
" Bold, hardy, adventurous and strongly attached 
to their faith, but tolerant towards those of other 
denominations, the Catholic emigrants to Ken- 
tucky proved not unworthy of their ancestors, 
who had been the first to unfurl on this Western 
Continent the broad banner of universal freedom, 
both civil and religious." 

The history of each of these churches is full 
of interest. It is illumined by some of the strong- 
est minds and loveliest characters that have helped 
to transform the fearful wilderness into a smilino- 

o 

garden of civilization. The Lutherans began later, 
but are growing rapidly in strength and numbers. 
In Louisville there are two Congregational churches 
and one Unitarian ; also three Jewish. 



2/6 WITHOUT SLAVERY. 

The Freemasons form one of the strongest 
secular societies in the State. The Widows and 
Orphans Home established at Louisville is the 
only institution of the kind in the United States. 
It is excellently managed and has a national repu- 
tation. Its building is one of the finest in the 
city, and furnishes a comfortable abiding-place for 
many widows and orphans. 

I have said nothing of the canal at Louisville, 
the first great engineering work in the United 
States. It was begun in 1826. Governor Clinton 
of New York took off his coat and trundled the 
first wheelbarrow of earth. It was completed in 
1 83 1 and cost $800,000. The Government sub- 
scribed for $300,000 worth of stock, and received 
in cash and bonds 567 shares and $24,278 more than 
it invested. 

The fame of the Kentucky thorough-bred is 
world-wide. In beauty, strength and speed he is 
not surpassed even by the " Arab steed " celebrated 
in song and story. And capitalists in search of 
charming homes have frequently come from afar 
to settle contentedly down in the lovely blue- 
grass pastures, where beauty and utility so agree- 
ably combine to make life both prosperous and 
attractive. 



CHAPTER XII. 



AFTER MANY YEARS 




1( HE rapidity with which 
Kentucky adapted 
herself to the new 
order of things after 
her slaves were free 
astonished even her- 
self. The results of 
the past decade had 
3- z:=^ demonstrated to the 

entire satisfaction o f 
all concerned that slavery was not only not indispen- 
sable to any one's comfort, but that it had been one 
of the greatest barriers to real progress that ever 
stood in the way of a people. Not only has there 
been an astonishing increase in manufactures in 
the State since the advent of freedom ; the re- 
cent extraordinary developments in coal and iron 
mining, and the increased immigration of agricul- 
turists, promise still greater things in the future. 

Nor has Kentucky's intellectual activity failed to 
keep pace with her material progress. The strength 
277 



278 ''AFTER MANY YEARSr 

and brilliancy of her newspapers are but the reflection 
of the intellectual and industrial vigor of the State. 
Here Prentice lived and worked and made his 
fame; here the Louisville Journal was regarded as 
a wonderfully successful newspaper ; but, could its 
editor return to the scene of his former labors he 
would stand amazed, not only at its increased power 
and importance and the enormous outlay its pub- 
lication involves, but also at the rich returns which 
have helped to make the Courier-Journal one of the 
richest, as well as brightest, of American news- 
papers. 

This unusual prosperity has been largely due to 
the financial ability of Mr. W. N. Haldeman, as well 
as to the editorial brilliancy of Mr. Henry Watterson, 
one of the most conspicuous and influential jour- 
nalists of his day. Nor is the Courier-Journal the 
only ably-edited newspaper in the State. There 
are many other bright journals whose editorial 
methods exhibit the same independence of thought 
and opinion that has characterized the Kentuckian 
from the pioneer times. 

Beyond the newspaper, Kentucky has usually 
regarded literature as a pastime rather than a pro- 
fession. The long list of writers in the past whose 
fugitive poems and sketches surprise the reader by 
their strength and beauty, serves to show that the 
meagerness of her literary record is the result 



''AFTER iMANY YEARS." 279 

neither of a deficiency in culture nor of limited 
intellectual power. 

Among the few who have taken the trouble to 
fashion their thoughts into the form of a book, at 
least three repented that they had entrusted to an 
irreverent public so much of the precious product 
of their brain, and suppressed their work. To the 
genial, impulsive Kentuckian, art seems too slow, 
too tedious and too exclusive a process to be made 
a serious business of life ; no less does it seem too 
dependent on the uncertain favor of a fickle public. 
Yet a few have loved it well enough to sit down 
to the tedious task undaunted by the long array of 
reproachful faces which seem to look out from the 
past, as if to say, " We have piped to you and ye 
have not danced, we have mourned unto you and 
ye have not lamented." 

Although we still find few professional men of 
letters outside the editorial chair, the readers of 
current literature welcome with pleasure the contri- 
butions of Bishop T. U. Dudley, of Prof. N. S. 
Shaler, and of James Lane Allen. Robert Burns 
Wilson, the poet-artist, has secured public favor in 
two fields of art. The poems of Harrison Robertson 
and J. Madison Cawein have also won wide atten- 
tion ; and we find a critical English audience select- 
ing for a prize reading one of the well-known poems 
of H. T. Stanton, The " character studies " of 



2 So ''AFTER MANY YEARS.'' 

Douglas Shirley show a promising fidelity to nature. 
Morrison Heady, also, who labors under the double 
disadvantage of total blindness and deafness, has 
given to the public some clever and ingenious 
work. 

Since the long-ago time when Matthew Jouett — 
the handsome, popular young lawyer whose " briefs 
beamed with the faces of his friends" — forsook 
the profession for which he had been so carefully 
trained, and went up to Boston to study portrait- 
painting under the renowned Gilbert Stuart, there 
have been many artists in Kentucky who have 
loved Art for her own sake, and who have devoted 
their lives to the faithful representation of the 
true, the beautiful, and the good things of life. 

Much of the dense, danger-haunted forest which 
lured the pioneers from the comforts of civilization 
into untold hardship and danger have vanished ; 
but there yet remain massive forests crowded with 
grand and impressive trees — the beech, the elm, 
the maple, the live-oak, and a thousand other 
varieties, that 

'' Wag their high tups and make no noise, 
Wlien they are fretted with the gusts of heaven." 

And the gently-rolling, blue-grass pastures with 
their clear flowino- streams, their ruminatinor cattle, 
their browsing sheep, their groups of splendid thor- 



AFTER MANY YEARS. 



281 



ough-breds, standing beneath the shade of wide- 
spreading trees — all furnish alluring material for 
both pen and pencil. It was here that Fuller 
painted some of his most striking pictures. 

In this Commonwealth the dignity and sweet- 
ness of the Christian life is rarely disturbed by the 




various new schisms and heresies which come and 
go ; false lights which flare up bravely for awhile, 
and then go out, leaving their devotees in darkness. 
Illiteracy which is faithful to its tasks, is far pre- 
ferable to a godless culture which only creates 
trouble. Kentucky's immunity from the flood of 



282 ''AFTER MANY YEARS." 

semi-cultured foreign immigration, which, while it 
has helped to make the North rich, brought also 
discord and danger, has been one of her chief 
blessings. 

Whiskey distilling is still one of the large indus- 
tries of the State. Many honorable, conscientious 
men are engaged in the business ; men who hon- 
estly believe that in making whiskey they do good 
and not evil. It is not to be denied that whiskey 
has oftentimes served a good purpose; and the 
taxes on whiskey have contributed no little to the 
enrichment of the United States Treasury. But 
when we are told that in this American Republic 
three hundred million dollars are paid annually for 
drink, and that sixty thousand people every year 
die drunkards' deaths ; when we count the cost to 
the country in ruined homes, deteriorated morals 
and increased pauperism, we are forced to the 
conclusion that the whiskey curse is one of the 
most terrible that ever befell a nation. 

The change in public opinion on this subject 
has been as great in Kentucky as in other portions 
of the United States. In 1888 the manufacture 
of distilled liquors decreased in the State 10,774,254 
gallons ; the total amount, fermented and distilled, 
836,774,977 gallons. Apart from the active pro- 
hibition movement, the cause of temperance reform 
has been greatly promoted through social and edu- 



''AFTER MANY YEARS/' 283 

cational influences; and the growing horror of 
drunkenness has well-nigh extinguished the drink- 
ing habit, which, like slavery, must soon cease to 
obstruct the path of civilization. 

The public school system in Kentucky, especially 
in the cities, has attained an unusually high degree 
of excellence. " Ten years ago," says H. A. M. 
Henderson, formerly Superintendent of Instruction, 
"a man in the blue-grass country worth ten thou- 
sand dollars would as soon have thouQ-ht of sendin'o- 
his children to the poor-house as to a public school. 
The public school was regarded as a charity de- 
vised for the education of paupers. But now the 
wealthiest counties are becoming the best friends 
of the public school." 

The long list of colleges, universities and acade- 
mies in the State extends beyond the possibility of 
record here. Her theological seminaries have sent 
out some of the most eloquent and useful ministers 
of the times. Her law and medical schools have 
given to the country some of its most distinguished 
orators and most eminent physicians. 

Hospitality is still cherished here as a fine art, 
though the limitations of the present system of 
service have tended to restrain the old lavish prodi- 
gality of the ante belhtm days. 

' The " woman's rights " movement makes scarcely 
more impression on Kentucky than does a foreign 



284 ''AFTER MANY YEARS.'' 

war. Although we hear Httle pubHc mention of 
Kentucky women, except for beauty and social grace, 
these are by no means their only, nor their high- 
est attributes. The fact that there are twenty-five 
thousand more males than females in the State has 
tended to keep women out of the professions. Yet 
the quiet dignity and independence of the true 
home-bred Kentucky woman has sometimes made 
her a not unattractive feature even in the busi- 
ness walks of life. 

For all his native shiftlessness, and his some- 
times inconvenient devotion to a " sfood time," 
Kentucky would not willingly part with her colored 
citizen. Beside his service in the fi.eld, the factory 
and the workshop, his musical and oratorical gifts 
are not to be despised ; they add their share of 
interest to this unusually picturesque and pleasing 
State. 

The recent agitation of the prison reform ques- 
tion, has not yet induced Kentucky to discard the 
convict lease system. The old idea that the peni- 
tentiary is a place for punishment, and not a 
reformatory, is still cherished here. It is thought 
only just and fair that criminals — the most expen- 
sive class of citizens — should repay at least a 
portion of the enormous sum they cost the Gov- 
ernment. The prison at Frankfort, though often 
over-crowded, is kept in tolerably good condition by 




IN THE MAMMOTH CAVE. See page 287. 



''AFTER MANY YEARS/' 28 7 

convict labor; there is a good library, and religious 
services are regularly held. But there is not, as 
yet, that organized effort toward the reformation of 
the convict, which is possible only through a knowl- 
edge of his character and needs, and due respect 
for his rio^hts ; for even convicts have their riHits. 
For such as these Christ died. That the inter- 
ests of society are so closely bound up with those 
of the criminal makes it all the more needful to 
convert them, if possible, into intelligent, self- 
respecting citizens. 

Kentuckians would consider incomplete a work 
on Kentucky which made no mention of the great 
Mammoth Cave. This marvelous " underground 
palace " is situated in Edmondson County, in 
the southwestern portion of the State. Bayard 
Taylor, that indefatigable traveler, admits that 
there is nothing in nature more wonderful than 
this cave — not even Niagara. The primitive char- 
acter of the great log hotel, and all its quaint envi- 
ronments belonging to a by-gone time, are carefully 
preserved. The spirit of the ancient regime lingers 
around the spot, undisturbed by the crowds of 
visitors who continually come and go. 

Two routes traverse the cave — one seven miles 
long, requiring four hours, the other eighteen miles 
long, requiring nine hours. Both of these the 
tourist is expected to take. There is but one 



288 ''AFTER MANY YEARS.'' 

entrance. You descend a flight of steps, the guide 
unlocks a door, when (usually, though not always) 
a rush of wind accompanied by the whir of bats' 
wings, blows out all the lamps. After groping a 
short distance in a sort of twilight the party pauses 
to re-light their lamps, and soon you enter Audu- 
bon Avenue, named for the celebrated ornithologist, 
who for many years made his home in Kentucky. 
Near by are the remains of the saltpetre works, 
and also a sort of chapel where the miners used to 
worship in the old pioneer days. 

You thread the succession of high-pillared domes, 
under "arches that swell sublime in lone and dim 
magnificence," and through " dim, awful aisles," as 
the poet Prentice describes them, — 

" With stars and flowers fretted like tlie liails 

Of Oriental monarchs — rivers dark 

And drear and voiceless as Oblivion's stream 

That flows through Death's dim vale of silence — gulfs 

All fathomless, down which the loosened rock 

Plunges until its far-off echoes come 

Fainter and fainter like the dying roll 

Of thunders in the distance." 

Perhaps the most awe-inspiring of these vast, 
" high-pillar'd " apartments is the Star Chamber, 
from whose mysterious dome high overhead a thou- 
sand snow-white sfems grleam out, amid the melan- 
choly gloom. 

' Be seated, ladies and gentlemen," says the 



''AFTER MANY YEARS/' 289 

guide ; and relieving the party of their lamps, he 
vanishes behind a jutting rock. Soon fleecy clouds 
begin to float mysteriously across the starry 
heavens, and you seem to be staring into an infini- 
tude of sky. Then suddenly the stars go out, and 
an awful " blackness of darkness " descends upon 
you. After an interval of appalling silence, the 
sky begins to light up with a faint glimmer of 
dawn. The rocks and hills take on a faint yellow 
light, and a most wonderful imitation of day-break 
ensues. Then, all too soon, the guide re-appears 
with your lamps and the gratuitous counsel, "Well, 
we'd better be gittin' along." 

At Lake Purity you need to have a care lest you 
unwittingly stumble in, seeing no water there, so 
wonderfully clear is it. And so light and exhila- 
rating is the atmosphere, that a fair walker makes 
the eighteen miles without great fatigue. A large 
party greatly enhances the interest, while the pict- 
uresque dress also adds much to the charm of the 
scene. 

There are many more grottoes and vast halls ; 
there are wild depths whose dense gloom even the 
most powerful magnesium lights fail to illumine; 
there is an immense conservatory — two miles of 
flowers which never fade. No need to draw on your 
imagination for the flowers. There they are above 
you ; a garden of such perfect lilies and roses and 



290 ''AFTER MANY YEARS.'' 

fuchsias as no other conservatory has ever pro- 
duced — even the faint yellowish reflection of the 
stamens inside. There are three rivers and several 
cascades. As you float down " Echo River " some 
one in a boat far behind you starts a song, and 
forthwith the mysterious sprites presiding over 
these " fretted halls " take up the strain, and a 
burst of heavenly melody, as of angels singing, 
floats past you down the stream — vanishing with 
the olidino- water beneath a solid wall of rock. I 
have mentioned neither the "Corkscrew" nor "Pur- 
gatory " ; these to be appreciated must be seen. 

We will take a farewell glance at the Petersons, 
our representative Kentuckians, who instead of 
going abroad this season have come out to the old 
country homestead ; the same from which the two 
brothers went forth a quarter of a century ago to 
fight for their country — on different sides. The 
beloved parents of that unhappy time have long 
since entered into their eternal rest. Harry himself 
is beginning to show on his face the record of a life 
given to earnest thought and patient, kindly deeds. 
He wonders a little over the keen interest with 
which his son and daughter read the new novels 
and poems as they appear in the periodicals of the 
day. There are no great novels, these days, he 
says — nothing like "Vanity Fair," or "David 
Copperfield," or " Jane Eyre." 



''AFTER MANY YEARS/' 29 1 

Nevertheless, he glances smilingly at the two 
young people bending so earnestly over a great 
parchment spread out on the library table. This 
parchment contains the "family tree," over which 
Edmund and Cornelia have spent much time — 
patiently tracing the various branches " away back 
into the dark ages," as Cornelia (who is named for 
that literary great-aunt whom she never saw) calls 
the old pioneer times of Edmund Cabell. As all 
the old Virginia families carefully preserved their 
family records, the way from the Virginia Cabells 
back to the cavaliers was plain sailing. The West- 
lakes were more intricate ; but far back, beyond a 
generation or two of black sheep, was a strain of 
deep-blue English blood. " The most aristocratic, 
and the least respectable branch on our tree," says 
the young man. " No, Cornelia, I am not going to 
whitewash that unsound branch ; whitewash is out 
of fashion ; and, even the Plantagenets, the Stuarts 
and the Bourbons had their black sheep. James 
Tuggs and William Cobb Westlake were, I guess, 
two as worthless people as ever lived. They were 
anything but aristocrats while they lived ; but you 
see their high ancestry gives them precedence in 
the family records." 

" There we have the advantage over the aristo- 
cratic countries," said Cornelia. " Eminence in 
art, in science, in literature, or in true Christian 



292 ''AFTER MANY YEARS/' 

refinement, gives a social rank which even the 
stupid heir to a fortune, or to an aristocratic name 
cannot claim." Then there was much laughter 
over the story of a Kentucky girl who, while danc- 
ino; with a titled En2;lishman, evinced some hesi- 
tation at pronouncing his title. " I don't like to 
call you Lord," she explained. " It seems irrev- 
erent — like taking the name of the Lord in vain, 
you know." "Call me Ned, then — do," said his 
lordship. " That is what they call me at home." 
And the remainder of the evening the young peo- 
ple were vastly amused, and the proprieties un- 
utterably shocked at the spectacle of an English 
nobleman answering sweetly to the name of " Ned." 

Harry and Cornelia, both graduates of the public 
schools, have been abroad a year or two. They 
are interested in art, in sociology, the labor ques- 
tion and the tariff (though I am sorry to say that 
Cornelia has never yet attained to the heights and 
depths of the latter abstruse question); and I think 
will use wisely and well such gifts as they possess. 
For all may have, if they choose, a beautiful and 
noble life. 

They cherish in proud remembrance that pioneer 
ancestor who fought for freedom in the Revolution; 
and who conquered, not only the savage foes with- 
out, but that still more dangerous foe within — his 
own heart. " It is so hard to realize the awful 



AFTER MANY YEARS. 



29: 



difficulties which beset the pioneers," said Harry. 
" It wasn't near so easy to be good then as now, 
when goodness is the fashion, and wickedness isn't 
allowed in good society." 

" Whenever I think of the pioneers," said Cor- 
nelia, gazing with a dreamy expression into the far- 
away tree-tops, " I see plains and grazing herds 
of buffalo; and the 'salt licks' with the deer and 
elk licking the flat stones ; and big, big trees, thick 
and dark and full of fierce animals, and of still 
fiercer Indians who lurk among the shadows, with 
gay feathers in their heads, and murder in their 
hearts, waiting their chance to scalp the white man 
ploughing in the field." 

" Well done, Cor- 
nelia," exclaimed 
Harry, laughing. " I 
have no doubt that 
Daniel Boone himself 
would recognize your 
sketch, at once." 

For a Commonwealth 
so bountifully endowed 
by nature, so splendidly 
equipped for usefulness, 
we scarcely dare to sug- 
gest a possible future, 
so sure are we that her 




A TYPICAL KENTUCKY GIRL. 



294 ''AFTER MANY YEARS." 

progress must extend far beyond the boundaries 
of our present imagining. But the civihzation we 
would crave for our country, would include skill 
only in that which promotes the purity and happi- 
ness of man, and would exclude everything that 
tends to hardness and evil. 

It is written — the last shall be first. We have 
seen how the long-neglected mountainous region of 
Eastern Kentucky, hitherto known only as the home 
of the vendetta, has suddenly developed into a price- 
less treasure-house of mineral wealth ; and now the 
stone which the builders rejected bids fair to be- 
come " the head of the corner." The time is at 
hand when the fierce spirits presiding over this 
rugged region must take a long farewell of their 
precious solitude ; for Civilization has come — to 
stay. And her long retinue — the butcher, the 
baker, the candlestick maker; the telegraph, tele- 
phone, gas and water; the type-writer, the bicycle 
— faces that way. But Civilization brings better 
things than idle, useless brooding. Churches where 
the gospel is preached, and homes where it is lived. 
Music, pictures, books — through which the great 
souls of the past speak to the great souls of the 
future. And for these waiting hills the day of 
small things is past. Henceforth Kentucky, stand- 
ing midway between her elder and her younger 
sisters, calmly assured of not yet having attained 



AFTER MANY YEARS.'' 295 



the full maturity of her powers, looks mainly to 
this section for the realization of her dreams of 
future greatness. 

In 1999, when the capital of the United States 
shall, perhaps, have been set down in the heart of the 
blue-grass country; when the healthful breezes blow- 
ing over the undulating green pastures shall bear 
away with them the cares of State which crush the 
life out of our unhappy and much-criticised states- 
men ; when fair strangers from abroad shall catch 
somewhat of the peachy bloom of the blue-grass 
girl — then the foreign plenipotentiaries journeying 
thither from the Atlantic and the Pacific, seeins: 
the length and breadth of this great country — 
will certainly be moved to exclaim, with the won- 
dering queen of old, " The half had not been told 
me." The States will be more closely knit together. 
Neither East nor West, North nor South, can boast, 
" I am greater than thou." And envious monarchies 
looking on will be constrained to say, " Behold how 
beautiful it is for brethren to dwell to2:ether in 
unity." 



THE STORY OF KENTUCKY. 

TOLD IN CHRONOLOGICAL EPITOME. 

The known history of Kentucky is comparatively new; not until 1750030 
the State be fairly said to have come into historical occupation and posses- 
sion. But long before that date the beautiful stretch of hill and vale that 
now make up the Commonwealth of Kentucky had a peculiar and stirring 
story, the real details of which are but dimly known to us. 

THE ERA OF BEGINNINGS. 

Prehistoric man made the "blue-grass region" his early home. Thou- 
sands of years ago he lived his grovelling life as a cave-dweller in Kentuck- 
ian rock-shelters. Indeed the discoveries made among the caves of Ken- 
tucky point to an even higher order of intelligence among the Kentucky 
cave men than is found in other sections. They were agriculturists and 
vegetarians. They had a certain art in dress and manufacture and easily 
developed into the later rude civilization of the Mound-builders. The cus- 
tomary earth-works and efifigy mounds that mark the presence of these 
latter people in other States have been discovered in Kentucky, though not 
to the e.xtent that tells of settlement and occupation north of the Ohio. In 
time, however, these gave place to the rival tribes of Indians who for gen- 
erations disputed for the possession of the rich hunting-grounds of Kentucky 
and by the continuous conflicts between the northern and southern tribes 
gave to the beautiful section the ghastly title of "the dark and bloody 
ground." 

THE ERA OF DISCOVERY. 

At just what date the first white visitors came it is not easy to say, but 
it is fair to presume that the early Spaniards of De Soto's shattered army 
stood at some time upon Kentucky soil. With that date therefore we may 
safely begin Kentucky's chronological story : 

1543. The remnants of De Soto's troops in descending the Mississippi 
discovered Illinois and Kentucky. 

1584. Sir Walter Raleigh took possession of Virginia for the English 
Crown. The Charter included Kentucky. 

1607. First permanent settlement of the English in Virginia. 

1645. Col. Wood explored Kentucky to the Mississippi. 
297 



298 ERA OF DISCOVERY. 



1669. Twenty-three Spaniards in searcli of silver passed through Ken- 
tuci<y. They went as far north as New York. 

1670. Capt. IJolt of Virginia visited Kentucky. 

1673. Marquette, sailing down the Mississippi, reached the mouth of the 
Ohio and spent several days there — July 5. Began the trip back — July 17. 

1680. Hennepin sailed as far south as the Arkansas River. 

1682. La Salle and Tonti with a party of Frenchmen sailed to the mouth 
of the Mississippi. They stopped for some time at the mouth of the Ohio, 
and claimed both sides of the river for France, naming it Louisiana. 

1684. The " Five Nations " sold to the British a tract of land which 
included a part of Kentucky. 

1730. John Sailing of Virginia, while hunting in Kentucky was taken 
prisoner by the Illinois. Ransomed after six years. 

1739. M. Longueil sailed down the Ohio and discovered Big Bone Lick. 
French troops sailed down the Ohio to fight the Chickasaws. 

1742. John Howard crossed from Virginia and descended the Ohio. 

1744. The English purchase of the "Six Nations "" Western Lands" 
of indefinite extent. 

1745. The Shawnees of Kentucky retreated northward to avoid their 
southern enemies. 

1746. French settlement sent 800,000 pounds of flour down the Mis- 
sissippi to relieve New Orleans. 

1747. Dr. Walker crossed the Alleghanies and discovered Cumberland 
Gap, the Kentucky, Shawnee and Big Sandy Rivers. 

1750. Christopher Gist sent by the Ohio Company to explore the banks 
of the Ohio — September 11. 

1751. Christopher Gist reached the Shawnee Town — January 29. 
Two of Gist's men made speeches in a Shawnee council. — January 30. 
He returned along the valley of the Kentucky River to the Kanawha. 

1754. James McBride passed down the Ohio in a canoe. Left his 
initials on a tree. 

1756. Mrs. Mary Inglis was the first white woman in Kentucky. 
1758. Dr. Walker made his second visit. 

1765. Col. George Crogan sailing down the Ohio stopped at Shawnee 
Town and then passed on. 

1766. Capt. Harry Gordon (engineer) sent from Fort Pitt down the 
Ohio. Five men explored a position of the Kentucky country. 

1767. John Findlay traded with the Indians in Kentucky. Others went 
down the Ohio and up the Cumberland. 

1768. Treaty of Fort Stanwix by which the Indians granted additional 
territory to the English — November 5. 

1769. Four Virginia men went down the Ohio, down the Mississippi to 
New Orleans and home by sea. Daniel Boone and others made a hunting 
trip into Kentucky from North Carolina — June 7. 

1770. A party of hunters from Virginia remained so long in Kentucky 
.as to be called the Long Hunters. 



ERA OF COLONIZATION. 299 



1770-72. George Washington surveyed 2084 acres of Kentucky land for 
John Fry near Louisiana, and more on the Little Sandy. 

1773. An exploring party remained two days near Maysville. They 
traversed various other sections. Capt. Bullitt of this party laid out the 
town of Louisville — July 8. Simon Kenton and others made the first trip 
by land from Northern Kentucky to Western Virginia. Kenton returned 
in the fall and spent the winter in hunting and trapping. 

THE ERA OF COLONIZATION. 

1774. Capt. Harrod and party laid out Harrodstown (now Harrods- 
burg) and built some cabins — June. Daniel Boone and Michael Stoner 
set out to guide a party of surveyors from the Ohio Falls. They made the 
journey of eight hundred miles in si.xty-two days — June 6. Harrodsburg 
abandoned because of the Indians — July. 

1775. A party of thirty with Daniel Boone as guide explored Kentucky. 
This party dispersed by the Indians — March 25. First fort begun at 
Boonesborough. Block-houses also built at Harrodsburg and I'oiling Spring 
— April I. By the end of April the military force at Boonesborough num- 
bered sixty men. Land office ojDened by Henderson & Co. Simon Kenton 
and Thomas Williams raised corn at Kenton's Station — May. Representa- 
tives met at Boonesborough, agreed upon a government and passed nine 
laws. This was the first legislative body west of the Alleghanies — May 
23. Daniel Boone and some others brought their families to Kentucky — 
September. Boone's wife and daughter were the first white women on the 
banks of the Kentucky River. Fort McLellan was built at Georgetown — 
October. 

1776. Leestown built one mile below Frankfort ; also Sandusky's Station. 
Two agents sent to the Virginia Assembly to seek protection for the set- 
tlements — June 2. The Misses Callaway taken by the Indians near 
Boonesborough — July 7. They were rescued — July 8. Virginia estab- 
lished Kentuckv County — December 6. Col. John Todd and party at- 
tacked and defeated by the Indians near Blue Lick — December 25. Fort 
McLellan attacked by Indians — December 29. 

1777. Blackfish and forty-seven Indians besieged Harrodsburg — March 
7. Boonesborough was attacked. Burgesses sent from Kentucky County to 
the Virginia Legislature — April 15. Logan's Station attacked — May 20. 
Two hundred Indians made a second attack on Boonesborough — July 4. 
First court sat at Harrodsburg — September. 

1778. Boone was taken prisoner near Blue Licks — February 7. The 
Indians brought Boone to the Blue Licks where twenty-seven of his men 
surrendered — February 15. Indians attacked a boat on Salt River — May 
25. Four hundred and fifty Indians prepared an attack on Boonesborough. 
Boone escaped and reached I'oonesborough in ten days, having had but 
one meal in that time — June 10. Major GeorgeRogers Clark with 1 53 men 
began a march of one hundred and twenty miles through the wilderness to 



ERA OF COLOX/ZA I/OX. 



Kaskaskia — June 24. Clark surprised and captured Kaskaskia — July 4. 
Vincennes submitted to the Americans. Boone and nineteen men went on 
an Indian expedition to Paint Creek town — August i. Duchesne with 
eleven Frenchmen and Blackfish with four hundred Indians besieged Boones- 
borough for thirteen days — September 7. Permanent foundations of 
Louisville laid. The territory gained by Clark became Illinois County — 
October. Gov. Hamilton captured Vincennes for the British — December. 

1779. Col. Clark with one hundred and seventy men retook Vincennes 
with eighty-one prisoners, fifty thousand dollars' worth of military stores. 
Col. John Bowman killed Blackfish and Red Hawk, burnt Old Chillicothe 
and captured 163 horses. Compelled to retreat with a loss of eight or nine 
men — May. The Virginia Legislature presented Col. Clark with a sword 
and his regiment with a grant of land — September. Two hundred Indians 
attacked Col. Rogers and seventy men near the mouth of the Licking 
River. All but twenty slaughtered — October. 

1780. The "hard winter." Game and cattle frozen. Corn $50 to $175 
per bushel (Continental money) — January. Virginia granted land in Ken- 
tucky for educational uses — May. Col. Byrd (British) with six hundred Ca- 
nadians and Indians took Ruddle's and Martin's stations — June 22. Chil- 
licothe, Piqua and Loraine. Indian villages, surprised and destroyed by Col. 
Clark — July. Kentucky Co. subdivided into three counties — November i , 

1781. Fort Jefferson besieged for five days by the Chickasawsand Choc- 
taws. They were driven away with terrible carnage. Great immigration 
of girls to Kentucky — January 22. 

1782. Capt. Estill defeated near Little Mountain after a brave fight — 
March 22. Capt. Holder defeated near the Upper Blue Licks — August 
12. Bryan's Station infested for two days by British and six hundred In- 
dians. They were repulsed— August 15. The British overtaken by a 
pursuing party of 182 Kentuckians. The Kentuckians, driven back with 
great loss — August 19. Col. Lochry's party on the way to join Gen. 
Clark were all killed or taken prisoners — August 25. Gen. Clark with 
1,050 men destroyed numerous Indian towns. This ended serious Indian 
invasions — November. 

1783. A district court opened at Harrodsburg. Distilleries built south 
of the Kentucky River — March. 

1784. An informal meeting called at Danville to deliberate on the state 
of district — February. Nelson County was formed out of Jefferson. 
First Convention was held at Danville. Separation from Virginia was dis- 
cussed — December 27. 

1785. "The year of the Great Waters." The Mississippi rose thirty feet 
above highest known water-mark. A second convention addressed Virginia 
and Kentucky in favor of separation — May 23. The third convention 
adopted two new addresses to the same effect. Bourbon, Mercer, and 
Madison Counties formed. A treaty was made with the Indians at Fort 
Mcintosh — August 8. The Indians stole sixty horses from a station near 
Limestone — October 26. 



ERA OF STATEHOOD. 301 



1786. Gen. Clark negotiated an important treaty witli the Shawnees and 
the Delawares. Virginia passed the first act favoring the separation of 
Kentucky — January. Gen. Rogers made a third expedition against the 
Indians. Nothing was effected. Col. Logan entered the Indian country 
and destroyed eight large towns — September. The second act of Virginia 
postponed the separation of Kentucky till January i, 17S9 — October. 

1787. Meeting at Danville in regard to the navigation of the Mississippi. 
Gen. Wilkinson obtained a monopoly of the trade with New Orleans 

— May. The Ken tucke Gazette established by John Bradford at Lexing- 
ton. The first paper in Kentucky, and the first west of the Alleghanies. 

— August II. The fifth convention at Danville, decided unanimously for 
separation on Virginia's terms — September 17. 

1788. Mason and Woodford Counties formed. Almanacs, the first in 
the West, were printed at Lexington. The Virginia convention voted to 
adopt the United States Constitution. The Kentucky delegation opposed it 

— June 3. Congress took up the subject of the admission of Kentucky 
into the Union. Attempts made by the Spanish to induce Kentucky to be- 
come an independent State — July 3. Sixth convention at Danville. Took 
no important action — July 28. The seventh convention was held at Dan- 
ville — November 4. Troops sent to P'ort Columbia to protect the settlers. 
The third act of Virginia favoring separation — December 27. 

1789. Eighth convention resolved against the conditions imposed by Vir- 
ginia's third act — July 20. The fourth act of separation was passed acced- 
ing to Kentucky's wishes. The first brick house was built in Louisville — 
December iS. 

1790. A boat containing twelve persons taken by Indians near Limestone 

— January. Indian massacres of small parties of whites frequent — March. 
Gen. Harmar with one hundred regular troops and Gen. Scott with two 
hundred and thirty volunteers made a fruitless expedition against the 
Indians — April 18. The ninth convention accepted the terms of Virginia 

— July 26. The Kentuckians petitioned Congress to be allowed to fight 
Indians in their own way — December. 

THE ERA OK STATEHOOD. 

1791. Congress agreed to admit Kentucky as a State— February. Gen- 
eral Charles Scott and eight hundred mounted Kentucky volunteers burned 
several Indian towns and took many prisoners. — May 23. Another ex- 
pedition under Gen. Wilkinson did great damage to the Indians— August 
I. Gen. St. Clair's expedition against the Indians terminated in a massacre 
of the white men. There were many Kentuckians in the army.— No- 
vember 4. The tenth convention was elected to form a constitution — 
December. 

1792. The convention met at Danville and prepared a constitution — 
April 3. Gen. Shelby was elected the first governor — May. Col. Hardin 
and Maj. Truman murdered on a peace mission to the Indians — May 22. 



302 ERA OF STATEHOOD. 



Kentucky became a State of the Union — June i. The first Legislature met 
at Lexington — June 4. The governor's first message delivered orally. 
Frankfort fixed on as the seat of government— June 6. 'l"he first paper 
mill in the West established — August. The Treaty of Fort Knox. The 
Senate refused to ratify it — September. Maj. Adair forced to retreat by 
Little Turtle — November 6. 

1793. Numerous Indian depredations — the last in Kentucky — April. 
Gen. Wayne called for Kentucky volunteers. Got none, because the men 
had no confidence in the regulars — September. A draft was made — Sep- 
tember 28. Gen. Scott joined Wayne with one thousand men — October 
24. Kentucky Legislature met in Frankfort for the first time. Democratic 
societies founded at Georgetown, Paris, and Lexington. Gen. Clark ac- 
cepted a military commission from France — November i. The first line 
of Ohio Packet Boats put on the river — November 16. Gen. St. Clair 
issued a proclamation warning citizens not to join in the New Orleans ex- 
pedition. A line of Ohio packet boats established touching at Maysville — 
December 7. 

1794. Violent resolutions were passed at a r.exington meeting — May 
24. Remonstrance of Kentucky citizens to President and Congress be- 
cause of conduct of England and Spain — June. Unsuccessful attack on 
Fort Recovery by Indians — July. Gen. Scott joined Gen. Wayne with 
sixteen hundred Kentucky volunteers — July 26. In one hour Gen. 
Wayne defeated two thousand Indians and seventy Canadians at Fallen 
Timbers. Lexington launched the first successful steamboat in the 
West — August 20. 

1795. James H. Stewart began the publication of the Kentucky Herald, 
the second newspaper in the State — February. Three large lots of land 
were bought for emigrants from Wales — March 5. Treaty with the North- 
western Indians established peace till 1S12— August 3. The United 
States treaty with Spain settled the question of Mississippi navigation. An 
act was passed obliging every white male over sixteen to kill a certain num- 
ber of squirrels and crows each year. Daniel Boone removed west of the 
Mississippi. Kentucky Academy was established under Presbyterian au- 
spices — Octolier 27. 

1796. The Lexington library was established with four hundred volumes. 

1797. The office of Falls Pilot, at Louisville, established. The Kentucky 
Mirror was established at Washington by Hunter and Beaumont, the third 
newspaper in the State. 5446 out of 9814 votes favored a new convention 
to revise the Constitution — May. Thomas Power sent by Corondelet to 
separate Kentucky from the Union— July 12. Capital punishment abol- 
ished except for murder in the first degree. Henry Clay came to Kentucky 
— November. 

1798. The Legislature endowed several academies and seminaries — 
February 10. Second vote in favor of a Convention of Revision — May. 
Frankfort Palladium established; fourth newspaper — August 9. The fa- 
mous Kentucky resolutions were opposed in the House by only one man. 



ERA OF STATEHOOD. 303 



and passed the Senate unanimously. The Legislature passed an act calling 
a convention — November 16. Transylvania University established — De- 
cember 22. The Guardian of Freedom published at Frankfort by John 
Bradford and Son. 

1799. Convention met to revise the Constitution at Frankfort — July 
22. Convention reported the new Constitution — August 17. The High- 
wayman, Big Harpe, killed. Little Harpe escaped from the State. An 
attempt to amend the Resolutions of 179S failed — November. Louisville 
declared a port of entry. 

1800. The second Constitution of Kentucky went into effect — June i. 
A great religious revival began in the vicinity of the Green River — July. 

1801. The "Farmers' Library" established, the first paper printed in 
Louisville — January 7. Camp meeting at Cane Ridge attended by twenty 
thousand people, three thousand computed to have "fallen and experienced 
remarkable bodily exercises" — August 6-13. The general court and dis- 
trict courts abolished. Circuit courts established — November. 

1802. The Kentucky Insurance Company chartered with banking 
powers — Dec. 16. The right of deposit at New Orleans withdrawn by 
Spain. The Presbyterian Synod of Kentucky formed. Hemp first manu- 
factured for exportation. 

1803. First piano was brought into Kentucky — April. The "New 
Light " schism from the Presbyterian church. A shower believed by many 
to be blood fell near the Turtle Creek meeting-house — September 10. 

1804. Six Baptist ministers declared for the abolition of slavery. The 
Baptist Associations reproved them. The " emancipators " withdrew and 
organized the "Baptist Licking-Locust Association, Friends of Humanity." 

1805. Aaron Burr made his first visit to Kentucky. The Trappists came 
to Kentucky. 

1806. Eclipse of the sun. Aaron Burr made a second visit. Rev. John 
Lyle established the first female academy in the West — June 16. Burr 
indicted at Frankfort, but dismissed by the Grand Jury — December 2. 
Judge Sebastian convicted of receiving a Spanish pension while on the Su- 
preme Bench — December 6. Act to buy the first fire engine for Frankfort 
— December 26. Aaron Burr's acquittal of the charge of treason celebrated 
by a brilliant ball. 

1809. Henry Clay received a slight wound in a duel with Humphrey 
Marshall, another member of the Legislature — January 19. A retaliatory 
act forbidding Ohio attorneys to practice in Kentuck- courts. Schism of 
the " Particular Baptists"— February 19. 

1810. Legislature declared inexpedient the amendment to the U. S. 
Constitution proposed by Pennsylvania — January 16. Legislature resolved 
in favor of refusing to recognize the British minister, Mr. Jackson — Janu- 
ary 22. Bounty of one dollar on wolves under six months old and one 
dollar and a half for those over six months — January 26. Cumberland 
Presbyterian church established — February 4. 

1811. Mammoth Cave discovered. Lottery authorized to raise ten thou- 



304 ERA OF STATEirOOD. 



sand dollars to improve the navigation of the Kentucky River — January 10. 
The Legislature established several academies. A great earthquake in 
Kentucky. Lands granted to encourage iron and salt works — January 31. 
Lottery authorized to raise five thousand dollars for the road between Mays- 
ville and Washington. The " New Orleans " sailed from Pittsburg to New 
Orleans — October 4. Distinguished Kentuckians fell in the battle of Tip- 
pecanoe — November 7. 

1812. The sisterhood of Loretto established in Marion County. .Several 
library associations incorporated. Lottery authorized to raise four thousand 
dollars for an unsectarian house of public worship in Frankfort. All State 
and judicial officers and attorneys required to take an oath against duelling. 
The State divided into ten Congressional districts — February 8. Congress 
requested to grant ten thousand acres of land in upper Louisiana to Daniel 
Boone. Gen. Wm. H. Harrison made Major-General of Kentucky militia 
by Gov. .Scott — June. Two thousand volunteers under Gen. Hopkins on 
an expedition into the Indian country abandoned their general and returned 
home — October. Battle of Mississiniway. — December 8. Numerous 
steamboats put on the Ohio and Mississippi during this year. The Evan- 
gelical Record and Western Review established at Lexington in 181 2 by 
Thomas T. Skillman. The first religious paper west of the Alleghanies. 

1813. Kentuckians under Gen. Winchester reached the Maumee — 
January 10. British were defeated at Frenchtown — January 18. Massacre 
of the Americans at the River Raisin — January 22. Additional pay 
offered to volunteers in the Northwestern army — January 29. Gen. 
Clay reached Fort Megis with three thousand Kentuckians. Part of his 
force cut their way into the fort. Eight hundred Kentuckians under 
Col. Dudley killed or taken prisoners — May 5. Failure of second siege 
of Fort Meigs — July. Fort Stephenson besieged — July 31. Governor 
•Shelby with four thousand Kentuckians reinforced Gen. Harrison and 
assisted at the brilliant victory of the Thames — October 5. The returning 
Kentucky troops interred the bones of their comrades massacred at the 
battle of Raisin — October 15. They were discharged at Maysville — 
November 4. State House at Frankfort burned — November 25. The 
Legislature set apart rooms for the confinement of British prisoners — 
December 8. 

1814. Daniel Smith and Samuel J. Mill visited the State for the Amer- 
ican Bible Society to distribute Bibles, form Bible societies and organize 
churches. Gen. Harrison resigned his commission — May 14. Henry Clay 
and others signed a treaty of peace at Ghent — August 6. A very daring 
and successful raid into the Northwest, made by Gen. McArthur and five 
hundred mounted Kentuckians — September 20. 

1815. Maj.-Gen. Thomas and two thousand five hundred Kentucky 
militia arrived at New Orleans — January 4. Great victory at New Orleans 
— Januarys. Great flood on the Ohio River — April 6. Kentucky troojis 
arrived from New Orleans after incredible hardships — May i. Steamboat 
built at Louisville — October 15. 



ERA OF DEVELOP MEAT. 2>°^ 



1816. Lottery authorized to raise ten thousand dollars for a masonic 
hall in Russellville — January 29. Church and seminary property and 
libraries exempted from taxation — January 31. Retaliatory legislation 
punishing Indiana lawyers for practicing in Kentucky courts — February 10. 
Legislature gave a vote of thanks to Gen. Adair for his connection with 
the battle of New Orleans. 

1817. Louisville Hospital incorporated — February 5. The Kentucky 
Legislature proposed an amendment to U. S. Constitution aimed against 
salary grabs. A severe earthquake shock throughout the State — Decem- 
ber 12. 

1818. Forty-six independent banks chartered — January 26. Legislature 
appointed a new board of trustees for Transylvania University — February 
3. Gen. Geo. R. Clark died — February 4. Shadrach Penn published 
the Public Advertiser in Louisville — June 23. Treaty with the Chickasaw 
Indians for all their claims in Tennessee and Kentucky — October 19. 
Numerous Kentucky banks suspended specie payments — November 20. 

1819. Center College incorporated at Danville — January 19. The 
initial monthly magazine of the West issued at Lexington, Ky. — August. 
Legislature memorialized Congress for Christopher Miller, one of Wayne's 
most trusted spies. 

THE ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 

1820. Legislature instructed its senators and representatives to vote for 
the admission of Missouri — January 3. The new State House completed. 
More than half of the expense borne by private subscription — February 8. 
Five thousand dollars appropriated to buy books and apparatus for the 
medical department of Transylvania University — February 14. President 
Madison and General Jackson entertained by the Masons at Louisville —June 
24. President of U. S. requested to negotiate with Great Britain regarding 
the restoration of fugitive slaves in Canada — November 5. State Library 
established at Frankfort — November 9. Legislature enacted that all fines 
and forfeitures be paid over to the treasurers of the county seminaries to 
promote education — December 25. 

1821. The steamboat Post Boy arrived at Shippingport in seventeen days 
from New Orleans — April 29. Imprisonment for debt abolished — Decem- 
ber 17. One half of clear profits of the Commonwealth's Bank set apart as 
a literary fund. One half of the profits of the Lexington branch for Tran- 
sylvania University; one third of Harrodsburg branch for Center College ; 
and one third of Bowling Green branch for Southern College — December 
18. County courts authorized to erect poor-houses — December 19. U. S. 
Supreme Court declared the Kentucky claimant laws unconstitutional and 
void — December 27. 

1822. Henry Clay and Benjamin Leigh agreed upon articles of Conven- 
tion between Kentucky and Virgmia. Terrible epidemic (probably yellow 
fever) at Louisville — November 19. John Symmes sought aid from Con- 



3o6 ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 



gress in exploring the interior of tlie eartti througli the poles. Charter of 
the Bank of Kentucivy repealed — December 5. Lottery authorized to 
raise twenty-fi\e thousand dollars for a medical college at Lexington. 
Lunatic asylum established at Lexington. Augusta College (M. E ) char- 
tered. Deaf and Dumb asylum established at Danville. Lottery auth- 
orized for draining Louisville — December 7. 

1823. Col. James Morrison bequeathed twenty thousand dollars to 
found a professorship in Transylvania University and forty thousand 
dollars for a new building — April 23. Severe laws passed against gam- 
bling — December 29. 

1824. Many Kentuckians emigrated to Illinois and Missouri. A Bo- 
tanical Garden established at Louisville — January 7. A line of stages 
established between Maysville and Louisville — April 17. Henry Clay 
given a public dinner at Lexington — June 17. Mingo Puckshunubbe, 
chief of the Choctaws, accidentally killed at Louisville. His funeral largely 
attended — October 13. Great debate on baptism between Elder Campbell 
and Rev. William McCalla — October 15-23. Frankfort capitol burned — 
November 4. Legislature invited Gen. Lafayette to pay a visit to Ken- 
tucky. — November 17. A new Supreme Court established. Roman Cath- 
olic seminary at Bardstown incorporated as St. Joseph's College. Center 
College put under the control of the Presbyterian Synod — December 24. 

1825. Representatives requested by the Legislature to vote for Gen. 
Jackson for President. Portrait of Lafayette ordered for the House of 
Representatives. Steamboat Wm. Penn sailed from Pittsburg to Mays- 
ville in thirty-two hours. The quickest trip to date — March. Henry 
Clay burnt in effigy in many places outside the State for voting for J. Q. 
Adams for President — April. Great fire at Washington — April 22. Gen. 
Lafayette enthusiastically received all over the State — May. Public din- 
ner to Henry Clay at Maysville. Ovation wherever he went in the State — 
May 24. Gen. Wilkinson died near the city of Mexico — December 28. 
During this year a very exciting contest between the "old" and "new" 
court. Public meetings held in every county. 

1826. The beginning of extensive revivals lasting through four years. 
The Public Advertiser became a daily, the first west of the Alleghanies — 
April 4. Duel between Henry Clay, Secretary of State, and John Randolph, 
U. S. Senator from Virginia, at Washington City — April 8. Robert 
Trimble appointed Ju ige of U. S. Supreme Court — May. At the Mays- 
ville Jockey Club races, Jenkins' sorrel mare beat all previous trotting 
records — October i. A day of thanksgiving, humiliation and prayer 
kept by the Presbyterians in Kentucky — November 17. Ohio River the 
lowest ever known at this season — December 14. The "court contro- 
versy" settled by the repeal of the act establishing the "new court" — 
December 30. 

1827. Twenty thousand dollars appropriated for rebuilding the capitol 
at Frankfort. Great excitement caused by the Kanawha salt monopoly of 
Armstrongs, Grant cc Co. Public indignation meetings held and " boy- 



ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 



307 



cotting" resorted to — February. Three remarkable halves round the sun 
visible for several hours — May 17. Steamboat Tecumseh made the trip 
between New Orleans and Louisville in a trifle over eight days, thus beat- 
ing the record — June i. Eight thousand people attended a public dinner 
to Henry Clay at Paris. Rain fell nearly every day for three months — 
July 16. 

1828. Five hundred additions in one month to the two Presbyterian 
churches at Lexington. Henry Clay issued an "address to the public" 
refuting charges against himself — January. Twenty thousand dollars 
appropriated to complete the new capitol — February. 

1829. John J. Crittenden nominated to U. S. Supreme Court. Senate 
rejected the nomination. Buckner, Marshall and Underwood successively 
nominated and rejected — Januarys. Twenty thousand dollars appropri- 
ated for the capitol. Senators and Representatives requested to secure 
public lands from United States for establishment of schools — January 29. 
The principal building of Transylvania University burned — May 10. 
Louisville branch of the Commonwealth Bank robbed of twenty-five thou- 
sand dollars. No clue — September 17. 

1830. Tri-weekly packet trade established between Maysville and Cin- 
cinnati. Company chartered to build a railroad from Lexington to points 
on Ohio River — January 19. A common school law enacted — January 29. 
Temperance society formed at Augusta — February 17. Great enthusi- 
asm over the Maysville, Washington, Paiis and Lexington Turnpike Road 
company — April. The Turnpike Road Bill passed Congress — May 15. 
President Jackson vetoed it. Great excitement and public meetings in 
consequence — May 27. George D. Prentice established the famous Louis- 
ville Journal — November 24. 

1831. Fifteen ballots on three days for U. S. Senator. No choice. 
Election postponed to next session — January 4, 5,6. State subscription 
of fifty thousand dollars to the Turnpike Co. — January 15. First rail 
of the Lexington & Ohio Railroad laid at Lexington — October 22. 

1832. The greatest flood ever known on the Ohio River — February. 
The centennary of Washington's birthday celebrated with great enthusiasm 
— February 22. A day of humiliation and prayer observed by proclama- 
tion because of threatened cholera — August 18. Asiatic cholera appeared 
but did not attack many — October. 

1833. The State subscribed fifty thousand dollars more in the Maysville 
and Lexington Turnpike Road Co. The importation of slaves prohibited 
except when heirlooms and by emigrants. Legislature condemned the 
South Carolina nullification. Kentucky Colonization Society sent one hun- 
dred and two freed slaves to Liberia — February 2. Terrible scourge of 
the Asiatic cholera — May 30 to August i. The Teachers' Convention at 
Lexington organized the Kentucky Association of Professional Teachers — 
November 6. A medical college was established at Louisville — December i. 

1834. Kentucky Legislative Temperance Society organized — January 
14. Kentucky Common School Society organized — January 28. Financial 



3o8 ERA or DEVELOTMENT. 



depression caused by Jackson's war upon the bank — P'ebruary i. Public 
meetings at Frankfort and all over the State condemned President Jackson 
lOr his bank policy — April 26. Very injurious frost in Northern Kentucky 
— April 27. Severe drought — July 15 to September 8. A six-horse wagon 
drew on the Turnpike three loads weighing respectively 14,469, 14,529 and 
15,724 pounds — August. Severe earthquake shock — November 20. 

1835. Great enthusiasm over first railway train between Lexington and 
Frankfort. Time, two hours, twenty-nine minutes. Distance twenty-seven 
miles — January 25. Another visitation of cholera — July 2. Kentucky 
annual conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church declared against any 
interference with slavery — September 23. 

1836. Louisville, Cincinnati & Charleston Railroad chartered. State 
appropriations made for the improvements of several rivers — February 29. 
First railroad accident in Kentucky near Frankfort. Three killed and sev- 
eral injured — March 16. Arsenal at Frankfort burned — March 19. Ken- 
tuckians assisted at Sam Houston's victory of San Jacinto. Through the 
summer six hundred Kentuckians left to fight in Texas — April 21. Gov. 
Morehead called for one thousand mounted Kentuckians to fight in the 
Southwest. Before August 3 forty-five companies reported, only ten 
accepted. These were ordered discharged before ready to march — July 
16. Kentucky horse, Rodolph, double distanced the Tennessee mare, 
Rodolph, in four-mile heat — September 21. 

1837. St. Mary's College incorporated — January 21. Shelby College 
authorized to raise one hundred thousand dollars by lottery — February 16. 
State stock in Maysville and Lexington Turnpike Road inceased from 
$144,200 to $213,200 — February 21. Convention of Kentucky editors at 
Lexington — February 22. One million dollars of surplus United States 
revenue deposited with Kentucky set apart for public instruction — February 
23. Transylvania Medical School reorganized. General Albert Sidney 
Johnston wounded in a duel with Gen. Huston — April 29. Run upon the 
Louisville banks — May 8. All the Kentucky banks suspended specie pay- 
ments — May 9. Ohio River rose twenty-four feet in twenty-four hours — 
May 18. Daniel Webster received with greatest enthusiasm all through the 
State — May 18-30. Public meetings demanded extra session of the 
Legislature to relieve the money pressure — June. Legislature voted to 
call a Constitutional convention — December 21. 

1838. State Agricultural Society organized — February 3. Frankfort 
authorized to raise one hundred thousand dollars by lottery, half for schools 
and half for city water — February 7. Common schools established — Feb- 
ruary 15. First Superintendent of Public Instruction appointed — February 
28. Kentucky banks resumed specie payments — August 13. Great rail- 
road festival at Lexington — August 27. More fevers than for forty years. 
Rev. John B. Mahan acquitted of kidnaping slaves — October. Lowest 
water ever known in the Ohio River. Railroad built from Louisville to 
Portland — November. 

1839. Commissioners appointed to provide more efiicient means for cap- 



ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. o°9 



turing fugitive slaves — January 5. Remarkable debate in the House on 
the bill to charter a branch of the Southwestern Railroad bank — January 
II and 12. Paducah authorized to raise by lottery one hundred thousand 
dollars for seminaries and libraries — February S. $923,000 appropriated 
for internal improvements — February 22. Four-mile race at Louisville for 
fourteen thousand dollars. Wagner beat Grey Eagle — September 30. 
The Kentucky banks suspended specie payments — October 16. 

1840. Louisville College chartered — January 17. Marshall College 
chartered — January 23. Western Baptist Theological Institute at Coving- 
ton incorporated — February 5. Celebration of the first settlement of Ken- 
tucky at Boonesborough — May 24 and 25. Gen. Harrison enthusiastically 
received in Kentucky — November 16-20. 

1841. |6i8,ooo appropriated to internal improvements — February 18. 
Day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer, because of President Harri- 
son's death — May 14. Military encampment of twenty companies near 
Louisville — July 1-4. Maythe and Crouch hung by a mob at Wiiliams- 
town — July 10. African church at Maysville pulled down by a mob — 
September 8. Citizens of Woodford County presented John J. Crittenden 
at an expense of seventeen thousand dollars with the farm on which he was 
born — October 7. Vickars and Brown, reformed drunkards, aroused in- 
tense interest in the temperance cause. Whole communities signed the 
pledge — December 3. 

1842. Beautiful raw silk produced in Somerset — January 10. Leg- 
islature unanimously passed anti-repudiation resolutions — January 14. 
Institution for the Blind established at Louisville. Mercantile Library 
Association chartered — February 5. Henderson College incorporated — 
February 22. Four hundred and twenty thousand dollars appropriated for 
internal improvements — March i. Growth of temperance reform move- 
ment. Over thirty thousand signed the pledge in four months — April. 
Charles Dickens visited Kentucky — April 6. lianks resumed specie pay- 
ment — June I. Twelve thousand people attended a public dinner to Henry 
Clay at Lexington — June 9. A great barbecue was given at Dayton, Ohio, 
by the Ohio W^higs, to the Whigs of Kentucky as the Whig banner State at 
the last election. One hundred thousand present — September 29. Ken- 
tucky synod (Presbyterian) decided that the Bible fixed no rate of interest 
and counseled obedience to the State law in this matter — October 18. 

1843. John Van Zandt forced to pay damages for rendering assistance 
to fugitive slaves — July 12. John Quincy Adams visited Kentucky. He 
was received with great enthusiasm — November 14. A great debate upon 
baptism and other subjects at Lexington. Lasted three weeks. Crowds 
attended — November 15. The Louisville Democrat established. 

1844. Rev. Calvin Fairbanks was sentenced to the penitentiary for fif- 
teen years for abducting slaves. Louisville Courier established — February 
13. General Presbyterian Assembly convened in Louisville — May 16. 
Greatest flood ever known in the Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois and Red 
rivers. Great damage — June. Kentucky penitentiary burned— August 



3IO ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 



30. Appointed as a day of " prayer, praise and thanksgiving" — Septem- 
ber 26. Miss Delia A. Webster sentenced to two years in the penitentiary 
for abducting slaves. Pardoned out in seven weeks because of her sex. 

1845. Legislature consented to the purchase of the Louisville and Port- 
land Canal by U. S. — February 10. The 123d Regiment of Kentucky 
militia sought the abolition of the existing militia system — April 9. The 
abolitionists at Madison, Ind., made an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the 
arrest and delivery to Kentucky of a free mulatto who had abducted Ken- 
tucky slaves — April 25. The "Methodist Episcopal Church South" 
formed — May 19. Cassius M. Clay began the issue of the True Amer- 
ican at Lexington — June 4. A meeting of citizens sent a committee to 
Clay requesting that its publication be stopped — August 14. A general 
county meeting appointed a committee of sixty prominent citizens to take 
possession of press and printing apparatus and send it to Cincinnati. It 
was sent, express paid — August 18. Troops called out in Clay County to 
preserve order — September 10. The committee of sixty tried as rioters and 
acquitted — September 18. A meeting of citizens of Mason County de- 
manded legislation prohibiting abolition publications. Similar meetings in 
other counties — October 13. Another meeting of Mason County passed 
stronger resolutions than those of October 13 — November 10. 

1846 A colony of colored people sent out to "Kentucky in Liberia" — 
January 7. University of Louisville incorporated — February 7. Mays- 
ville College incorporated — February 13. War declared between U. S. 
and Mexico — May 13. The Loyal Legion, nine companies, offered their 
services for the Mexican War and were accepted. Louisville subscribed 
fifty thousand dollars to dispatch troops to the war — May 18. The North- 
ern Bank of Kentucky at Lexington tendered the governor two hundred and 
fifty thousand dollars for the same purpose. Gov. Ousley called for two 
regiments of infantry and one of cavalry — May 22. The requisition upon 
Kentucky for troops was full — May 26. Monterey, Mexico, captured. 
Louisville Legion displayed remarkable bravery — September 24. 

1847. Legislature voted to call a Constitutional Convention — January 
9. Kentucky Military Institute incorporated. Major John P. Gaines and 
Captain Cassius M. Clay and their troops surrounded at Emcamacion and 
forced to surrender. Imprisoned in the City of Mexico — January 20. 
Kentucky Female Orphan School incorporated, also Western Military In- 
stitute. Kentucky Legislature complimented the Louisville Legion and 
various officers — February 23. Kentuckians did their duty at Gen. Tay- 
lor's Buena Vista victory — February 22-23. Gen. Doniphan (a Kentuck- 
ian) defeated the Mexicans at Sacramento — February 28. Chihuahua, 
Louisville and Frankfort Railroad incorporated — March i. Four new 
infantry companies raised — March 10. Capt. Williams' company distin- 
guished themselves at the storming of Cerro Gordo — April 18. Impres- 
sive services at the burial in the State cemetery at Frankfort of those who 
fell in Mexico — July 20. Two more Kentucky regiments called for — 
August 31. The victims of Buena Vista buried in the State cemetery — 



ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 31 r 



September 16. The two regiments called for reported for service — Sep- 
tember 20. Great speech by Henry Clay at l,exington on the Mexican War 

— November 13. Great damage from floods in the Ohio, Licking, Ken- 
tucky and Cumberland rivers. State purchased the Lexington & Ohio 
Railroad — December. 

1848. Legislature passed an act to take another vote regarding Consti- 

tional convention — January 15. Passed a severe law against gambling 

January 29. Fifteen thousand dollars appropriated for a soldiers' monu- 
ment in the State cemetery — February 25. Second lunatic asylum estab- 
lished. Lexington and Frankfort Railroad incorporated as the successor 
of the Lexington and Ohio. State a stockholder — February 28. Legis- 
lature passed resolutions complimentary to a number of her brave soldiers 

— March i. State voted by a large majority to call a Constitutional con- 
vention — August 9. The bones of the victims of the Raisin massacre 
(1S12) were brought to Frankfort and interred in the State cemetery— Sep- 
tember 30. Patrick Doyle, an abolitionist, sentenced to hard labor in the 
penitentiary for twenty years for enticing away slaves — October 10. 

1849. Legislature passed an act to call a constitutional convention at 
Frankfort, October i, 1849— January i3- The Kentucky House of Repre- 
sentatives passed an unanimous resolution against abolition — February 3. 
Emancipation meetings at Maysville and Louisville — February 12-13. 
Gen. Taylor enthusiastically received on his way to Washington — Febru- 
ary 11-17. Law of 1833 amended, making it lawful to purchase and bring 
slaves into the State for one's own use — February 24. State Emancipation 
Convention demanded in the new Constitution : i. Prohibition of impor- 
tation of slaves. 2. A system of gradual emancipation — April 25. Chol- 
era again apppeared — May. Large emigration to California — June, July 
and August. Squirrels ravaged Northern and Central Kentucky — Sep- 
tember 28. Constitutional Convention met at Frankfort — October t. 

1850. Legislature requested the governor to have a block put in the 
Washington Monument with this inscription : " Under the auspices of 
Heaven and the precepts of Washington, Kentucky will be the last to give 
up the Union." — January 24. A sword presented to Serg. Wni. F. Gaines 
"the boy defender of the glorious banner of the 2d Regiment of Kentucky 
infantry at the battle of Buena Vista"— February 20. The New Constitu- 
tion was adopted by a large majority— May 7. Meetings held to indicate 
the strong Union sentiment — June. Great Union barbecue at Lexington 
in honor of Henry Clay — Octobor 17. Henry Clay by an unanimous in- 
vitation addressed the Legislature on the Union — November 15. 

1851. An attempt to secure State aid for railroads defeated — February 
10. Law passed obliging slaves thereafter emancipated to leave the State 

— March 24. A number of Kentuckians engaged in Lopez's expedition 
against Cuba. Cholera again appeared — August 15. Kentucky Blind 
Institution was burned — September 29. An act passed regulating the re- 
tailing of liquors. This year many railroads were built. Louisville and 
Frankfort Railroad completed — December 13. 



312 ERA OF DEVELOPMENT. 



1852. Augusta College burned — January 29. Henry Clay presented 
with a gold medal by the citizens of New York — February 10. Cholera in 
Union County — May. At EddyviUe two persons fight a duel by being 
bled — May 10. Henry Clay died at Washington. Universal sorrow — 
June 29. Thirty thousand people joined in the funeral procession of Henry 
Clay at Lexington — July 10. " Stampede " of from fifty to sixty slaves 
across the Ohio River — September 27. Public meeting at Louisville in 
regard to the death of Webster which occurred the day before. Memphis 
and Ohio Railroad begun — October 26. 

1853. U. S. Military Asylum located at Harrodsburg Springs — May 8. 
The Presbyterian General Assembly established a Theological Seminary at 
Danville — May 26. The prohibitory liquor law succeeded in Boyle and 
Gerrard Counties. Li Muhlenburg the temperance ticket for all county 
officers was elected — August i. Kentucky's contributions to the " World's 
Fair" at New York very fine, especially in hemp and tobacco — September 
5. Sixty-three more emigrants set out for Liberia — October 27. 

1854. Maysville voted against license — January 2. Temperance can- 
didates defeated at Lexington — January 7. Twenty slaves arrived in 
Canada from different parts of Kentucky in ten days — January 14. Reso- 
lutions offered upon the death of Henry Clay — February 9. Legislature 
presented Henry E. Rfead with a sword for gallant conduct in the Mexican 
War — February 11. Much religious interest all over the State — February. 
Miss Delia Webster first requested, then compelled to leave the State for 
assisting fugitive slaves — March 12. Four-mile race at New Orleans won 
by Lexington, a Kentucky horse — April i. Lecomte from Mississippi beat 
Lexington — April 8. A mob took possession of the streets of Louisville 
and did much damage, because of the acquittal of Ward of the murder of 
Butler — April 29. More colored emigrants left Louisville — May i. 
Cholera again — July 10. Powder magazine at Maysville exploded by in- 
cendiaries — August 13. Bank failures very frequent — October. 

1855. Kentucky horse Lexington won two four-mile races at New 
Orleans. One against time and the other against Lecomte — April 2. More 
colored men go to Liberia — May 8. " ]>loody Monday " in Louisville. An 
election not accompanied by violence, bloodshed and house-burning — Au- 
gust 6. Kentucky Military Institute buildings burned — December 9. 

1856. Kentucky Colonization Society sent more negroes to Liberia, 
most of them set free for that purpose — May. The Covington and Lex- 
ington Railroad opened — May 9. State Normal School opened at Lexing- 
ton — September 7. Medical department of the Louisville University de- 
stroyed by fire — December 31. 

1857. Edward Everett delivered his oration on Washington at Louis- 
ville — May 12. A mob took from jail at Louisville and hung three negroes 
who had been legally acquitted of murder — May 14. Laying of the cor- 
ner-stone of Clay's monument at Lexington with Masonic ceremonies — July 
4. The Kentucky banks weathered the financial panic. They refused to 
suspend specie payments — October. 



ERA OF STRIFE. 



313 



1858. Gov. Morehead issued a call for volunteers to Utah — March 6. 
Remarkable revivals all over Kentucky — April. Barker hung by a mob 
at Lexington for stabbing the city marshal— July 10. Terrible epidemic 
among the hogs — September 5. VVm. C. Prentice explored the "Bot- 
tomless Pit," Mammoth Cave — September 11. "Methodist Episcopal 
Church South" voted to expunge the rule of the church forbidding "the 
buying and selling of men, women and children with an intention to enslave 
them " — October 18. 

1859. Maysville and Lexington Railroad opened — February 10. Long- 
est iron bridge in U. S. (up to that time) built across the Green River. 

— March 16. Destruction at Newport of the True South, an abolition 
newspaper— October 28-29. Louisville and Nashville Railroad opened — 
November 5. Legislature instructed their national senators and represen- 
tatives to take some measure for the extradition of slaves from Canada — 
December 16. 

THE ERA OF STRIFE. 

i860. Great " Union " meeting at Maysville. Rev. J. G, Fee and 
others forced to leave Madison County for their anti-slavery teachings. 
Hog cholera prevailed —January 2. Rev. J. S. Davis, another abolitionist, 
required to leave — January 21. Institution for idiots founded — February 
II. All laws prohibiting the importation of slaves into the State repealed 

— March 2. Law enacted that non-resident free negroes must not enter 
the State — March 3. Several wounded in Madison County because of the 
refusal of Hanson, an abolitionist, to leave the State — March 26-27. Most 
severe tornado ever known in the Ohio Valley — May 21. 

1861. Commissioners sent to the Peace Conference at Washington — 
January 29. John J. Crittenden addressed the Legislature by special invi- 
tation — March 20. John C. Breckenridge addressed the Legislature 

April 2. Governor of Kentucky refused to furnish troops at the call of 
Lincoln — April 15. Crittenden in a speech at Lexington recommended 
neutrality — April 17. Union State Central Committee in an address to the 
people recommended neutrality — April 18. Capt. Joe Desha and over one 
hundred men left for the Confederacy. Other companies followed. Gov. 
Magoffin refused to furnish troops to the Confederacy — April 22. Louis- 
ville raised two hundred thousand dollars for defense — April 25. Railroad 
trains crowded with people going North — May i. " Mothers, wives, sisters, 
daughters of Kentucky" flooded the Legislature with petitions to "main- 
tain inviolate her armed neutrality "—May 8-18. An attempt at an agree- 
ment as to policy between the two parties in the State unsuccessful — May 
10. A regiment of Kentucky troops entered the Confederate Army — May 
15. Resolutions of neutrality passed in the House — May 16. Neutrality 
proclamation of Governor Magoffin warning both United States and Con- 
federacy to keep off Kentucky soil — May 20. The Senate passed neutral- 
ity resolutions — May 24. Border Slave State Convention in session at 



314 £R^ OF STRIFE. 



Frankfort — May 27-June 3. Election of members to Congress. Union 
candidates elected except in first district — June 20. At Camp Boone, 
eight miles from Clarksville, Tenn., Kentucky regiments assembled for the 
Confederacy. At Camp Clay, opposite Newport, and at Camp Joe Holt, 
opposite Louisville, regiments assembled for the Union Army — July 15. 
Elections to the Legislature resulted in Union majorities. J5rig-Gen. Nel- 
son established Camp Dick Robinson (Federal) in violation of the neu- 
trality of the State — August 5. Legislature passed its time making reso- 
lutions of every variety. Has been called the "Resolution Legislature" 

— September. Confederate troops fortified positions in Kentucky — Sep- 
tember 3. Federal troops occupied a number of positions — September 5. 
U. S. flag hoisted on the Capitol — September 7. Peace Convention at 
Frankfort — September 9. States Rights Convention at Frankfort — Sep- 
tember 10. Both Houses demanded the withdrawal of Confederate troops 
over the governor's veto. They said nothing of the Federal troops — Sep- 
tember II. The Legislature demanded over the governor's veto that the 
Confederate troops be expelled. The governor issued a proclamation to 
that effect. The publication of the Louisville Courier forbidden by the 
U. S. Government. Gen. Buckner occupied Bowling Green with Confeder- 
ate troops and issued a proclamation to the people — September 18. Skir- 
mish between Home Guards and Confederate troops — September 19. 
Gen. Thomas assumed command at Camp Dick Robinson. Gen. Buckner 
blew up the locks on Green River — September 21. Three members of the 
Legislature arrested by Home Guards — September 22. Gen. Anderson 
reassured the citizens by proclamation — September 24. The Legislature 
called for forty thousand Kentuckians for a long term to repel Confederate 
invasion — September 25. A supplemental act directed the State force to 
be mustered mto U. S. service. Various Confederate sympathizers ar- 
rested — September 26. Various newspapers suspended — SejJtember 27. 
Skirmishes. The Legislature thanked Ohio, Indiana and Illinois for their 
assistance against the Confederacy — October 1. The Legislature instructed 
their U. S. senators to resign — October 2. A small body of Federal 
troops ambushed near Glasgow and routed — October 10. Gen. Sherman 
assumed command of the Kentucky troops — October 14. Fully forty 
regiments from other States in Kentucky. Fifteen thousand Kentuckians 
enlisted — October 20. Seven thousand Confederates repulsed at Camp 
Wildcat — October 21. Confederates routed at West Liberty and Hazle 
Green — October 23. A large number of prominent men indicted for 
treason — November 6. Confederates defeated in the battle of Ivy Mount- 
ain — November 8. Gen. Buell succeeded Gen. Sherman in command — 
November 13. A sovereignty convention at Russellville adopted an ordi- 
nance of secession and arranged for a provisional government — November 
18-21. Eleven Kentuckians released from Fort Warren, Boston — Novem- 
ber 28. Confederate Congress admitted Kentucky as one of the seceding 
States — December 9. Confederates defeated at the battle of Munfordville 

— December 17. Federals defeated at Sacramento — December 27. 



ERA OF STRIFE. 315 



1862. Battle of Mill Spring, Gen. Thomas defeated Gen. Crittenden. It 
was a heavy blow to the Confederates. Numerous skirmishes during the 
month— January 19. Memorable remark of Rev. Mr. Conway in Boston. 
" President Lincoln would like to have God on his side, but he must have 
Kentucky. "—February i. Bowling Green evacuated by the Confederates 
under Buckner — February 14. The Confederates abandoned Columbus — 
February 27. Legislature expatriated all who aided the Confederacy — 
March 11. Confederates successfully surprised by Gen. Garfield at Pound 
Gap — March 14. Col. Morgan's (Confederate) Cavalry made a very suc- 
cessful raid — May 11. Gen. Boyle inaugurated a general system of arrest 
of Confederate sympathizers— June. Gen. Boyle began the arrest of dis- 
loyal women — July. Gen. Morgan with his rangers made his first extended 
Kentucky raid, destroying telegraphs, railways, bridges, government ware- 
houses. Very successful — July 8. Louisville very much in terror of Mor- 
gan-July 12-13. Morgan gained a victory at Cynthiana— July 17. Two 
religious papers at Louisville suppressed by military order —July 22. Min- 
isters arrested all over the State — July 26. A prison prepared at Newport 
for rebel females. Required to sew for Union soldiers — July 28. Gov. 
Magoffin resigned— August 16. Negro slaves impressed as laborers into 
the service of the government — August 24. Gen. Nelson defeated near 
Richmond by a superior force of Confederates — August 30. During the 
month very stringent laws passed against sympathizers with the rebels- 
August. Paris and Lexington evacuated by the federals — September i. 
Versailles occupied by Confederates — September 2. Union men drove 
the abolitionist Rev. J. G. Fee out of the State — September 12. Mun- 
fordville surrendered to Bragg— September 16. Beginning of a wonderful 
and successful retreat from Cumberland Gap by General George Morgan 
(Federal) — September 18. Federals reoccupied Munfordville — Septem- 
ber 21. Inaugural ceremonies of the Provisional Government at Frankfort. 
Four hours later fled from the city — October 4. Greatest battle ever 
fought in Kentucky at Chaplin Hills near Perryville between Gens. Bragg 
and McCook. At the close of the day the result was in doubt. Bragg 
withdrew the next morning. — October 8. Morgan made another raid into 
Lexington — October 18. Gen. Bragg's inglorious retreat much impeded 
by snow — October 25. J. Wilkes Booth played a very successful engage- 
ment at Louisville — November 8. A remarkable all-night march of Mor- 
gan's cavalry to escape two detachments of Federals. Numerous skirmishes 
and engagements all through the year in which Morgan's raiders played a 
prominent part. 

1863. The Confederate Congress formally thanked Morgan for his 
services — January 2. Two companies of Morgan's raiders broke up "in 
tremendous disorder " a public meeting at Burksville — February 12. Col. 
Cluke's division of Morgan's raiders began another raid into Kentucky — 
February 18. Battle flags presented to the State by Gov. Robinson — 
March 2. Union Democratic Convention at Louisville. Some stormy 
scenes — March 18-19. ^ vigorous code promulgated bv Gen. Burnside 



3i6 ERA OF STRIFE. 



then in command — April 13. Twenty thousand Kentuckians called for 
for the defense of the State — May 10. Gen. Burnside ordered wives and 
families of persons absent with the Confederates to be sent South — May 
13. New York World and Chicago Times prohibited by Burnside. Lin- 
coln revoked the order. — June 2. Morgan's wonderful raid of over one 
thousand one hundred miles through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio — July. 
Morgan surrendered near Salineville, Ohio. Numerous small engagements 
during the month — July 26. Two thousand Confederates surrendered at 
Cumberland Gap — September 9. Gen. Morgan and six of his captains 
escaped from the Columbus Penitentiary. Morgan and Hines traveled by 
railroad to Cincinnati, crossed the river in a skiff and succeeded in reaching 
Tennessee. Kentucky harassed by guerrillas all through the year. 

1864. Gov. Bramlette ordered five rebel sympathizers to be arrested as 
hostages for every Union man taken by guerrillas — January 4. The Legis- 
lature protested against enlisting Kentucky negroes and asked that all 
negro camps be removed from the State — February 20. Meeting at Louis- 
ville of a Border State Freedom Convention. Kentucky University de- 
stroyed by fire — February 22-23. Maj. Hamilton and one hundred and 
four other officers returned home after escape from Libby Prison by a 
tunnel — March 3. Gov. Bramlette called for ten thousand troops at once 

— May 13. Morgan's cavalry began their last raid — June 2. Great fire 
in Louisville — July i. President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas 
corpus and proclaimed military law in Kentucky on account of the guerrilla 
raids — July 5. Twenty-four women and children arrested and sent out 
of the country — July 18. Gen. Morgan surprised and killed in Tennessee 

— Septemljer 4. Gen. Burbridge crossed over from Kentucky to Virginia. 
Fought a close battle at Saltville, Va., and then withdrew — October 2. 
Guerrillas whipped the county judge of Bath County with a strap — October 
12. The U. S. draft drove many into the Confederate army — October 27. 
Great indignation among the farmers at what appeared to be an attempt on 
the part of the military to force the selling of hogs at reduced rates — Octo- 
ber. All military orders on the hog question were revoked — November. 
Controversy by letter between Gov. Bramlette and Gen. Burbridge. Nu- 
merous arrests and executions during the month — November 9-18. Gov. 
Bramlette called upon Kentuckians whose slaves had been taken for the 
army to devote the money received for them to relieving the soldiers' 
families — November 23. Gen. Burbridge with four thousand men made 
a second expedition to Saltville, Va. He destroyed the salt works, then 
returned to Kentucky. During the year few engagements except with 
guerrillas — December 9. 

1865. The Legislature discussed the Thirteenth Amendment proposed 
to the U. S. Constitution — February. Gen. Palmer succeeded Gen. Bur- 
bridge in Kentucky — February 10. Agricultural College established — 
February 22. Guerrilla warfare continued — March. Gen. Johnston sur- 
rendered to Sherman. Most of the Kentucky Confederates were with 
Johnston's army — April 26. Gen. Palmer announced the terms of sur- 



ERA OF PROGRESS. Ji; 



render in Kentucky — April 14. Large public meeting in Louisville at 
which the governor presided adopted resolutions in memory of President 
Lincoln — April iS. A funeral procession three miles long— April 19. 
Gen. Burbridge presented with a one thousand dollar sword, belt and spurs 
by the colored cavalry of Brigades Fifth and Sixth — April 24. Negro en- 
listments in Kentucky stopped by the War Department — May 8. Gen. 
Palmer ordered the arrest of all faro bank keepers — July 8. Southerners 
claimed unwarrantable military interference at the polls — August 7. Gens. 
Palmer and Brisbin indicted for abducting slaves — September 21;. Lead 

ore discovered in several counties. Several oil wells bored December i. 

Gen. Palmer acquitted of abducting a slave — December 8. Secretary 
Seward declared the Thirteenth Amendment adopted — December 18. 

1866. Cholera prevalent among the hogs ; small-pox among the negroes 
— January. The seats of numerous members of the Legislature declared va- 
cant and new elections ordered. " Short Line " begun from Lagrange to 
Covington — February. The Legislature demanded the instant removal of 
Wm. Goodloe and Clinton B. Fisk of the Freedmen's Bureau. The guerrilla. 

" One Arm Berry," tried by a military commission and found guilty of eleven 
separate murders. Sentenced to be hung, but commuted to ten years' impris- 
onment — February 10. Legislature passed several acts defining and ex- 
tending negro rights — February 14. Legislature demanded the revoca- 
tion of suspension of habeas corpus and the removal of the " Freedmen's 
Bureau" — February 17. Large and enthusiastic meeting at Louisville in- 
dorsing President Johnson — February 22. Negro hung by a mob at Paris 
for rape. Gen. Davis of Indiana succeeded Gen. Palmer — March 27. 
Lynching at Paris of another negro — March 28. More lead discovered — 
April I. Numerous lynchings in Boyle and Woodford Counties — April. 
Ten distilleries closed for violation of internal revenue laws — April 26. A 
number of negroes lynched for atrocious crimes — May. National tobacco 
fair at Louisville — May 31. Hog cholera very prevalent — July. Guer- 
rillas plundered a train on the Louisville and Nashville road — November 
8. Opening of the iron suspension bridge between Cincinnati and Coving- 
ton. Numerous lynchings all through the year — December i. 

THE ERA OF PROGRESS. 

1867. The Legislature rejected the Fourteenth Amendment to the U. S. 
Constitution — January 10. Various lines consolidated and incorporated 
as the Louisville, Cincinnati and Lexington Railroad — January 19. Louis- 
ville subscribed one million dollars to complete the Lebanon Extension rail- 
road to Kno.xville — January 26. The Legislature protested against negro 
suffrage in every form — February 14. The "Regulators" hung Thos. 
Carrier — February 17. A general amnesty law passed for acts done dur- 
ing the Rebellion — February 28. Decision in favor of the plaintiffs of the 
great suit of Breckenbridge vs. Lee, pending for sixty-four years, on which 
three generations of Kentucky's ablest lawyers were engaged — March 18. 



3iS ERA OF PROGRESS. 



Subscriptions all over the State for the relief of Southern destitution ^-^May 

15. Another outrage by " regulators " ^ June 3. Laying of the corner- 
stone of an immense bridge over the Ohio at the falls at Louisville — Au- 
gust i. A grand tournament with nine tilts at Paris — August 2. Hang- 
ing by " regulators " — August 3. " Regulators" hung two negroes — August 
ID. *' Regulators " hung two white men — August 25-26. Gov. Steven- 
son authorized the raising of three companies for protection against the 
"regulators" — October 11. Legislature rebuked the Freedmen's Bureau 
for exceeding their powers — November 5. A Christmas dinner given at 
Harrodsburg to Admiral Semmes of the Alabama. E.x-Federals and Con- 
federates attended. Gov. Magoffin's toast : " The fame of American sol- 
diers and sailors whether rebel or Federal is the common heritage of the 
people " ^ December 25. 

1868. The Irish citizens of Frankfort lynched a negro for a brutal 
crime — January 29. The Kentucky delegation voted unanimously against 
the impeachment of Andrew Johnson — February 22. Legislature pro- 
tested against the wrong done Kentucky by Congress in refusing to allow 
her representatives to take their seats — March 9. A large crowd witnessed 
the reinterment at Lexington of Gen. Morgan the cavalry raider — April 
17. Louisville subscribed one million dollars for the Elizabethtown and 
Paducah Railroad — May 9. Fenians in session at Louisville — May 18. 
U. S. House admitted McKee to the seat to which Young was elected by a 
majority of 1479 votes — June 22. Negroes mobbed a negro preacher 
whom they accused of rebel sympathies — August 3. The Democrat, Jour- 
nal and Courier were fused into the Courier Journal. Henry Watterson 
succeeded Geo. D. Prentice as editor — November 8. Four girls (three 
aged thirteen and one sixteen) recited at Crittenden the whole Bible which 
they had memorized during the year. 

1869. Legislature made punishable by fine prize-fighting and training ; 
also seconds and spectators of a fight — February 12. Two murderers 
escaped from jail pursued by seventy-five men, captured and shot — Febru- 
ary 8. Great temperance reform in Covington. One thousand signed the 
pledge in less than two months — February 27. Gen. Breckenridge re- 
turned home after a banishment of eight years. His reception an ovation 
— March 9. The Legislature rejected the Fifteenth Amendment to the 
U. S. Constitution — March 13. " Ku Klux " so-called, attacked Frank 
Bowen at Clover Bottom — March 16. The Legislature accused the U. S. 
officials of having treated Judge Bullitt unjustly in forcing him to leave the 
State, and of having '• insulted the honor and dignity of the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky" — March 16. Remarkable revival among the Danville ne- 
groes — March 21. Decoration of Confederate soldiers' graves — May 20. 
Dedication of the Confederate monument at Cynthiana — May 26. Seven 
hundred colored delegates held a State Educational Convention near Louis- 
ville — July 14. Total eclipse of the sun — August 7. Louisville city 
authorities gave twenty thousand bushels of coal to the poor — November 

16. At Somerset three men were killed and one badly wounded in a fray 



KRA OF PROGRESS. 319 



caused by the whipping of a man by " regulators " — November 20. Legis- 
lature exempted from taxation all college and seminary property, real 
estate of lodges of I. O. O. F and Masons, hospitals, infirmaries, widows 
and orphan asylums and foundling asylums — December 7. 

1870. Henry Watterson delivered before the House of Representatives 
an eulogy of Geo. D. Prentice, the veteran editor of the Louisville Journal 
who died January 21 — February i. Celebration of the completion of the 
Cincinnati Bridge. The Legislature attended in a body — February 18. 
Nine days debate at Mount Sterling on the subject of baptism — March i-io. 
Legislature exempted from tolls persons on their way to and from church 
on Sunday, or attending funerals — March 19. The Fifteenth Amendment 
declared carried — March 30. Seventy masked men lynched four mur- 
derers. Several other lynchings during the year — May 13. Six thousand 
negroes celebrated at Paris the adoption of the Fifteenth Amendment — 
June ID. A couple married in Mammoth Cave — July 27. 

1871. " Regulators " continued their outrages. A public citizens' meet- 
ing called for the interference of the State. The press also condemned 
them. Public meetings denouncing the refusal of the Legislature to char- 
ter the Cincinnati Southern railway — February 12-15. A negro guilty of 
stealing sentenced to receive fifteen lashes — February 16. Lieutenant 
Hugh W. McKee of Lexington, Ky., killed in an engagement with the 
Coreans. He was the fir.st man to enter their fortress — May 11. Military 
called upon to quell an election riot at Frankfort, also at Paris and Lex- 
ington — August 7. Death of Robert Anderson, the defender of Fort 
Sumter — October 26. Kentucky contributed liberally to the sufferers 
by the Chicago fire — October. Opening of the enlarged Louisville and 
Portland Canal — November 20. Two negroes admitted to practice law 
in the Louisville courts — November 23. 

1872. Citizens of P'ranklin County petitioned the Legislature for pro- 
tection against desperadoes — January 12. Grand Duke Alexis of Russia 
visited Louisville and Mammoth Cave — January 30-February i. The 
Cincinnati Southern Railway bill became a law — February 13. The Cen- 
tral Kentucky Inebriate Asylum incorporated— March i. Severe legisla- 
tion against lotteries — March 25. Robt. Bonner's Kentucky colt Startle 
made a fine record in New York — April 24. Formal opening of the Louis- 
ville Public Library — April 27. Daring robbery in broad daylight of the 
National Bank of Columbia — April 29. Meeting at Lexington to inaugu- 
rate a great university in Kentucky — May 8. Congress appropriated one 
million dollars to adjust Kentucky war claims. Robert Bonner's " Joe 
Elliott" made a mile in 2.15 — June 18. National Industrial Exposition 
opened at Louisville — September 3-October 12. Peace Reunion at Louis- 
ville — September 11-12. Mob Law in Washington County because of 
the county taxation for the Cumberland and Ohio Railroad — September 
1 5. A new denomination, the " Soul Sleepers," built a church — September 
20. Horace Greeley, candidate for president, welcomed in Kentucky — 
September 21. Discoveries of rich lead and iron ore — October i. Negro 



320 ERA OF PROGRESS. 



riot in Covington — October 12. The epizootic prostrated Kentucky horses 
— November 8. Three hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars distributed 
in gifts at the drawing for the Kentucky Public Library. Small-pox preva- 
lent during the year. Lynchings continued. Elizabethtovvn, Lexington and 
Big Sandy Railroad opened from Lexington to Mount Sterling. 

1873. Death of General John Morgan's famous stallion " Skedaddle" — 
January 11. State Educational Convention of colored men demanded for 
their children equal educational advantages with the whites. Bee cholera 
proved very fatal — February 18-19. Trial at Georgetown of the famous 
Harper slander suit resulting in a verdict for the defendant — March 8-14. 
Robbery of the Falls City Tobacco Bank in Louisville — March 10. Com- 
promise of the famous "diamond" suit — March 16. Kentucky Society 
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals incorporated — March 22. Cen- 
tral University incorporated — March 23. Most severe legislation against 
"regulators" — April 11. First Grangers organized — April 20. Frederick 
Douglass addressed the people of Louisville, white and black, at the anni- 
versary celebration of the Fifteenth Amendment — April 21. Graves of 
the Federal dead decorated. Appointed by Congress as a National Me- 
morial Day — May 30. Grand gift concert for the benefit of the Kentucky 
Public Library — July 8. Negro riot at the polls — August 4. Second 
Louisville Industrial Exposition — Sept 2-October 11. Mass meeting of 
Owen County condemned the Ku Klux — September 15. The first colored 
high school in Kentucky dedicated at Louisville — October 7. Kentucky 
raised large sums for the yellow fever sufferers at Memphis — October 25. 
Excitement against Spain so great that a regiment and several companies 
offered their services in case of war — November 17. A convention of 
colored men demanded their share of the Republican spoils. Cholera in 
some sections. Ku Klux outrages continued — November 25. 

1874. One hundred thousand dollars appropriated to extend and im- 
prove the Central Kentucky Lunatic Asylum, one third of the amount for 
CDlored inmates "separate and apart " from the white inmates. The Insti- 
tution for Feeble Minded Children re-established. A general law passed 
regulating the sale of intoxicating liquors partaking largely of the features 
of a "local option" law. State Board of Pharmacy established and the 
practice of physicians regulated. A uniform system of common schools 
provided for the colored children, but colored children were forbidden to 
attend white schools and vice versa. 

1875. The Kentucky Central Railroad chartered — March 20. Dem- 
ocratic State Convention met at Frankfort. Declared against Federal 
interference and local affairs — May 6. Republican State Convention 
met at Louisville. . Declared for a revision of the Constitution — May 
13. The people defeated by a large majority a proposition to revise the 
Constitution — August 2. A State Educational Convention held at Lex- 
ington for the purpose of creating an interest in the education of the 
negroes. Surveyors determined the boundary between Ohio and Indiana — 
November 10. 



ERA OF PROGRESS. 321 



1876. A Bureau of Agriculture, Horticulture and Statistics established. 
A Fish Commission appointed for stocking the ponds and rivers. Repub- 
licans held a convention at Louisville to choose delegates for National Con- 
vention—May 18. Democratic Convention at Louisville for the same 
purpose — May 25, The Prohibitionists met at Louisville —July 27. 

1877. A Convention of Democrats, the largest ever held in the State, 
declared their belief that Tilden was the lawful president of the U. S.' 
Recommended a peaceful solution of the difficulty —January 18. A con- 
vention held at Frankfort to consider the subject of the improvement of the 
navigation of the Mississippi River— February. Cincinnati Southern Rail, 
road opened from Cincinnati to Somerset — July 21. Employes of the 
Louisville and Nashville Railroad struck at Louisville— July 23. A riot 
broke out and an unsuccessful attempt was made to fire the railroad offices. 
Easily put down without the military — July 24. Memphis and Ohio Rail- 
road consolidated with the Louisville and Nashville — October 9. 

1878. Legislature passed an act for calling a Constitutional Convention. 
A Civil " Damage " act passed enabling familv of an inebriate to obtain 
damages of the liquor dealer. State Board of Health established. The 
citizens of Fayette County held a public meeting in favor of re-establishing 
the whipping-post. The House passed a bill to this effect but it failed by 
one vote in the senate — January. Scenes of bloodshed for many days in 
Breathitt County where the sheriff was attacked by a mob. Circuit court 
broken up. A military force sent by the governor — November 29. 

1879. Great excitement over the murder of John M. Elliott, one of the 
judges of the Court of Appeals by Thomas Buford — March 26. Demo- 
cratic convention met at Louisville — May 2. Republican State Convention 
met at Louisville. The Legislature voted down a proposition for a con- 
stitutional convention— April 10. A majority of the people voted down 
a revision of the Constitution. State Convention of colored teachers 
held at Louisville memorialized the Legislature on the defects of the 
common school system. The bee industry in the State almost destroyed 
by drought— August 27. State Guards which were sent to quell disturb- 
ances in Breathitt County returned with thirteen of the ringleaders — 
December. 

1880. A Bureau of Immigration was created — April. Cincinnati South- 
ern Railroad completed to Chattanooga, Tenn. The calling of a Constitu- 
tional Convention submitted to a vote of the people. A railroad commis- 
sion created. Gov. Blackburn pardoned numerous convicts to relieve the 
crowded condition of the prison. Considerable temperance legislation 
passed. The " regulators " did much damage in several counties. Finally 
gave themselves up to the civil authorities of their own accord — February 
12. The people voted against a constitutional convention —August. 

1881. A number of farmers from the Canton Bern, Switzerland, settled 
near Pittsburg. Laurel County, and named their village Bernstadt. A State 
Prohibition party organized at Louisville. Common school laws thoroughly 
revised —October 14. The Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Rail- 



322 ERA OF PROGRESS. 



road opened to the Big Sandy River. Louisville and Nashville Railroad 
purchased and absorbed various other lines — November i. 

1882. Secretary of the Immigration Bureau sent to Europe to solicit 
immigration. He was successful. An act passed establishing a superior 
court to be held in Frankfort. Another vote in favor of submitting the 
Constitutional Convention question to the people. The Democratic State 
Convention met at Frankfort — January 11. Kentucky ministers held a 
temperance convention and resolved for prohibition — February 15. One 
hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Blue Licks celebrated — August 19. 
State troops guarding prisoners were attacked by a mob. Several of the 
troops wounded and many of the mob wounded and killed — October 31. 

1883. The Livingston E.xtension of the Kentucky Central completed to 
Richmond, Ken. A convention of representative men, irrespective of party, 
held at Frankfort to organize a movement against illiteracy — April 5. 
Democratic State Convention at Louisville — May 16. Republican State 
Convention met at Lexington — May 23. Constitutional Convention de- 
feated. The Southern Exposition was held at Louisville — August i. An 
adjourned meeting held. Geological survey of the State completed in its 
general features — September 20. National convention of colored men 
met at Louisville — September 24. 

1884. Kentucky Central leased the Richmond Branch of the Louisville 
and Nashville Railroad. Republican State Convention in Louisville chose 
delegates for the National Convention. Demanded the enforcement of the 
constitutional amendments, a "free ballot, a fair count" and protection — 
May I. Democratic convention at Frankfort chose its presidential dele- 
gates and declared for a tariff for revenue only — May 7. Livingston Ex- 
tension was formally opened. Liquor selling prohibited in certain localities. 
Institution for colored deaf mutes established. Kentucky Humane Society 
incorporated. Another act submitting Constitutional Convention to the 
people. School laws amended and thereby much improved — August 9. 

1885. People voted against a Constitutional Convention. Seventy to 
ninety militia kept on active duty in Rowan County for several weeks dur- 
ing the summer — August 3. 

1886. The Elizabethtown, Lexington and Big Sandy Railroad leased to 
the Newport News and Mississippi River Valley Railroad. Legislature 
again gave the people a chance to vote on the Constitutional Convention. 
Appropriated one hundred and twenty two thousand dollars for the com- 
pletion of the penitentiary at Eddystone. Made gambling a felony — 
February. 

1887. Prohibitionist Convention at Louisville. Among other things ad- 
vocated a sovereignty convention — March 3. Kentucky Central Railroad 
Company reorganized as the Kentucky Central Railway Company. The 
colored Normal School dedicated and opened. The disgraceful disturbances 
in Rowan County continued — April 23. The Democratic Convention met. 
Declared against competition between free and convict labor — May 4. 
The Republican Convention met. Declared for internal improvements and 



ERA OF PROGRESS. 323 



unlimited pensions — May 1 1. The people voted in favor of calling a Con- 
stitutional Convention — August. 

1888. The inhabitants of Pike County, Ky., petitioned the governor for 
arms and ammunition to defend themselves against attacks from West 
Virginia. Kentucky State troops were stationed at Pikeville. The trouble 
began in 1882 in a family feud between the McCoys of Pike County and 
the Hatfields of Logan County, W. Va. Murders and bloody engagements 
between armed bands frequent — January. " Honest Dick Tate " (the State 
Treasurer) suspended from office by Gov. Buckner after twenty years con- 
tinuous service for defalcation to the extent of two hundred and thirty thou- 
sand dollars — March 20. Removed from office by the Senate acting as a 
court of impeachment. The Rowan County disturbances investigated by a 
commission. Judge Cole severely censured, but allowed to retain his office 
— March 30. Maysville and Big Sandy Railroad completed. Also Louis- 
ville, St. Louis and Texas. The Legislature ordered the second election by 
the people in August, 1889, on the Constitutional Convention. One hun- 
dred and fifty thousand dollars more appropriated to the Eddyville Peni- 
tentiary. Made " Memorial Day " a legal holiday. 

i8go. Constitutional Convention met at Frankfort — September. 



A large number of Kentuckians have held political places of honor and 
responsibility. She has furnished two Presidents of the United States : 
Abraham Lincoln and Zachary Taylor, and one President of the Confed- 
eracy : Jefferson Davis. 

Two Vice-Presidents : John C. Breckenridge and Richard M. Johnson. 
Also two Acting Vice-Presidents : David R. Atchison (while Senator from 
Missouri) and Jesse D. Bright (while Senator from Indiana). 

Two Secretaries of State : Henry Clay and James G. Blaine (who taught 
in Kentucky in early manhood and found his wife there). 

Four Secretaries of the Treasury : Geo. M. Bibb, Thomas Convin, James 
Guthrie, Benj. H. Bristow. 

Three Secretaries of War : Jefferson Davis, Joseph Holt, Isaac Shelby 
(declined). 

One Confederate Secretary of War : John C. Breckenridge. 

One Secretary of the Navy : Richard W. Thompson. 

One Secretary of the Interior: Orville H. Browning. 

Six Postmaster-Generals : Wm. F. Barry, Montgomery Blair, Joseph 
Ilolt, Amos Kendall, John McLean, Chas. A. Wickliffe. 

Six Attorney-Generals: John C. Breckenridge, John J. Crittenden, Felix 
Grundy, James Speed, Henry Stanberry and George M. Bibb. 

Seven Judges of the Supreme Court of the United States : John Ca- 
tron, John McLean, John McKinley, Sam. F. Miller, Thomas Todd, Robt. 
Trimble, J. M. Harlan. Also numerous U. .S. Judges and Judges of 
the Supreme Courts of other States, and one, Lorin Andrews, Judge 
of the Supreme Court of the Sandwich Islands. 



324 EKA OF PROGRESS. 



Two Presidents of the Senate : J. C. Breckenridge and Richard M. John- 
son, and four Presidents /r^/,fw. of Senate: David K. Atchison, Jesse D. 
Bright, John Brown, John Pope. 

Six Speakers of the House: Linn Boyd, Henry Clay, John White, James 
G. Blaine, Michael C. Kerr and John G. Carlisle. 

She has also furnished many senators and representatives of other 
States as well as governors. Many of her citizens have been sent on im- 
portant foreign missions. During her history she has given to the army 
among others Gen. Taylor (Mexican War), Gen. Anderson (Fort Sumter) 
and Generals Albert Sidney Johnston, Buckner, Hood, Duke and Morgan 
(Civil War). 



THE PEOPLE'S COVENANT 

AS EMBODIED IN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE 
OF KENTUCKY. 



[Note: — A Constitutional Convention to determine the question of a thorough revision of 
the State Constitution was in session at Frankfort, Kentucky, when this book went to press. 
The epitome here presented is from the Constitution of 1850.] 



The people petitioned for a separation of the district of Kentucky as a 
State, as early as May 31, 1785, but they had much to contend with, and it 
was not till April 19, 1792, that the first Constitution was adopted. 

There have been three separate Constitutions of the State of Kentucky; 
the first provided for a Governor to be chosen for four years ; a General 
Assembly, consisting of a Senate ; House of Representatives ; and a 
Supreme Court, styled the Court of Appeals. 

The second Constitution was adopted on the first of June, iSoo. It 
created a Lieutenant-Governor, and made an attempt to gradually abolish 
slavery but without effect. The second Constitution remained in force for 
nearly half a century, without amendment. 

On account of a desire for a change in the Constitution, especially with 
regard to the Judiciary system, a new Constitution was approved and 
adopted June 11, 1850. This third and last Constitution has remained in 
use up to the present time, and is composed of a preamble and thirteen 
articles, each article being divided into many sections. 

PREAMBLE. 

We, the Representatives of the people of the State of Kentucky, in con- 
vention assembled, to secure to all citizens thereof the enjoyment of the 
rights of life, liberty and property, and of pursuing happiness, do ordain 
and establish this Constitution for its government. 

Article One concerns the distribution of the powers of government. 

Section i creates three distinct Departments ; the Legislature ; the Execu- 
tive ; and the Judiciary. 

Section 2 declares that persons belonging to one department, shall not 
exercise the powers of another. 

Article Two concerns the Legislative Department. 

3-5 



THE CONSTITUTION. 



Section i. Legislative power shall be vested in a House of Representa- 
tives and Senate, to be known as the General Assembly of the Common- 
wealth of Kentucky. 

Sectio7i 2. Time of service of Representatives to be two years from day 
of general election. 

Section 3. Elections biennial, and held on the first Monday in August ; 
mode of holding election to be regulated by law. 

Section 4. To become a Representative one must be a citizen of U. S. 
at time of election ; twenty-one years old ; must have lived, the two years 
preceding his election, in the State, and the last year in the county, town, 
or city from which he is chosen. 

Section 5. Counties must be divided into election districts; cities and 
towns to be allowed separate representation in the General Assembly, so 
long as each city or town has a number of qualified voters equal to the 
ratio then fixed ; and such city or town shall be divided into districts for 
Representatives and Senators according to the number of Representatives 
and Senators entitled to such city or town. 

Sections 6 to 34 provide for the representation in the House and Senate 
of the voters in the Commonwealth ; the officers of the House and Senate ; 
privileges of voters; term of Senators — four years; time of meeting of 
General Assembly — first Monday in November; rules — punishments or 
expulsion of members; journals to be published weekly; pay of members; 
clergymen and officers under U. S. not to hold oftice; the passage of bills; 
credit of Commonwealth not to be given or loaned in aid of corporations. 

Section 35 declares the objects for which debts of the General Assem- 
bly mav be allowed — to meet casual deficits of revenue not to exceed at 
anytime five hundred thousand dollars; the State may contract debts to 
repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or provide for the public defense. 

Sections 37 and 38. No law enacted by the General Assembly shall relate 
to more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in title. 

Article Three concerns the Executive Department. 

Sections 1 to 14 fix the term of the Governor — four years ; declare that 
he is not eligible for the succeeding term; that one holding the otifice 
must be thirty-five years old, a citizen of the U. S., and must have been 
a resident of the State for the last six years preceding his election ; that no 
member of Congress, no officer of the U. S., nor minister of any religious 
society shall be Governor; that the Governor shall be Commander-in-chief 
of the army and navy of the Commonwealth, and of the militia thereof, 
except when they shall be called into the service of the U. S. He shall not 
command, personally, in the field unless advised to do so by a resolution of 
the General Assembly ; authorize the Governor to fill vacancies in ofiice ; 
give him the pardoning power; declare that he may require information, 
in writing, from the officers in the E.vecutive Department; provide for con- 
vening Legislature in certain cases, and for adjourning it in certain cases. 

Sections 15 to 19 provide for the election of Lieutenant-Governor; he shall 
be Speaker of the Senate, give the casting vote, shall act as Governor when 



THE CONSTITUTION. 327 

the latter is removed from office, impeached, dies, resigns or is absent 
rom the Senate ;i„ such a case a Speaker of the Senate is elected and 
If he Lieutenant-Governor is removed from office of Governor, the Speaker 
acts as Governor; Provided that, whenever a vacancy shall occur in the 
office of Governor, before the first two years of the term shall have expired 
a new election for Governor shall take place. 

Section 20 declares that the Secretary of State shall convene the Senate 
for the purpose of choosing a Speaker, when the Lieutenant-Governor, after 
assummg the office of Governor, shall die or be removed from such office 
during a recess of the General Assembly. 

Section 21 declares that the Governor shall nominate, by and with the 
advice of the Senate, and appoint a Secretary of State. 
Sections 22 atid 23 grant veto power to the Governor. 

Sections 24 and 25 provide for the contested elections of Governor and 
Lieutenant-Governor; for the election of a Treasurer, an Auditor of Public 
Accounts, Register of the Land Office, and Attorney-General. 
Section 26 declares that the first election under this Constitution for Gov- 

te" T; ^rr'Tn^J"""' ''"'""■"■' ^"''^°^ °^ ^"^'''^ ^--"'«' Regis- 
Mond Y "' ""' ^"-•-y-General shall be held on the first 

Monday in August, in the year 1S51. 

Article Four concerns the Judicial Department. 

Section I. The judicial power of this Commonwealth is vested in one 
Supreme Court (styled the Court of Appeals), the courts established by 
this Constitution, and such courts, inferior to the Supreme Court, as the 
General Assembly may, from time to time, erect and establish. 

Sections 2 to i^ provide for the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals ; term 

for!, r; Ttv "'°''' '"^ '"'"'■y' ^°^^ '^' court is composed; provide 
for he Judicial Districts - vacancies - case of change in number ^f Judges 
-classification of Judges; for election to fill vacancies -appointment if 
ess than one year for qualifications of a Judge, sessions, where' held ; e 

tZl'rtrT" ''"'"'' Clerks -qualifications of clerks; addi- 
tional Judge or Judges. 

Sections 16 to 28 deal with the Circuit Courts. 

Sections 29 to 41 deal with the County Courts 

Article Five concerns Impeachments. 



Section i. The House has s'ole power of impeachment. 
Impeachmei • - - 
be on oath or affirmation ; two thirds of the members p'rese'nt^muT'coiiru'i 



Section 2. 



Impeachments shall be tried by the Senate, and Senators shall 
to convict. " '^™'''°" ' '^^° ^'"'■'^^ °f 'he members present must concur 
Section 3 declares that the Governor and all civil officers shall be liable to 

emoval T ' t ^"''T;' '" ^"^' '^^^^^ ^^^" -' ^'-^^ ^-'her than to 
or nrofi T t".'"' disqualification to hold any office of honor, trust, 
or profit under the Commonwealth. But the party convicted shall, never: 
theless, be subject and liable to indictment, trial and punishment by law 
Article Six concerns Executive and Ministerial Officers for Coun- 



ties and Districts. 



328 THE CONSTITUTION. 



Sections i to 9 provide for the Commonwealth's Attorneys; Clerks of the 
Courts; Surveyor; Coroner; their qualifications and provide for their elec- 
tions; Sheriff — term — not eligible for second term; Constables — term; 
officers for towns and cities ; provide for vacancies in offices ; require County 
Officers to give security for proper performance of their duties. 

Section 10 provides for the appointment of other County or District 
ministerial and executive officers. 

Section 11 provides for the election of County Assessors and their 
assistants. 

Article Seven concerns the Militia. 

Section i declares that all free, able-bodied, male persons in the State shall 
serve in the militia when called; exempts negroes, mulattoes, and Indians 
from such service ; also those belonging to religious societies whose tenets 
forbid them to carry arms, but the latter shall pay an equivalent for personal 
services. 

Section 2. The Governor shall appoint the Adjutant-General, and other 
staff officers ; the Major-Generals, lirigadier-Generals, and commandants of 
regiments shall, respectively, appoint their staff officers ; and commands of 
companies shall appoint their non-commissioned officers. 

Section 3 declares that all other officers shall be elected by persons sub- 
ject to military duty, within their respective companies, battalions, regiments, 
brigades and divisions, under such rules, and for such terms, not exceeding 
six years as the General Assembly may direct. 

Article Eight concerns General Provisions. 

Section 1 declares that all members of the General Assembly, and all other 
officers shall swear (or aiifirm) to support the Constitution of the U. S., and 
the Constitution of the State ; to faithfully perform the duties of the office ; 
that, since this Constitution was adopted, he has not fought a duel with 
deadly weapons, nor taken any part in such duel. 

Section 2 declares treason against the Commonwealth to consist only in 
levying war against it, or in adhering to its enemies ; that no person shall 
be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses, or on his 
own confession. 

Section 3 disqualifies any person from office who has offered any bribe, or 
treat, to procure his election. 

Section 4 extends this bar from office and suffrage to include any person 
thereafter convicted of bribery, perjury, forgery, or other high crime. 

Section 5 asserts that no money shall be drawn from the treasury except 
by law; limits appropriations for the support of the army to two years. 

Section 6 declares that the General Assembly may direct, by law, in what 
manner, and in what courts, suits may be brought against the Common- 
wealth. 

Section 7 declares that the manner of administering the oath of office shall 
be in accordance with the conscience of the person assuming office, and 
shall be esteemed by the General Assembly the most solemn appeal to 
God. 



THE CONSTITUTION. 329 



Sections 8 and 9 declare that all laws in existence in the State of Virginia 
on the first day of June, 1792, and not repugnant to the present Constitution 
of Kentucky shall be in force ; and the compact with the State of Virginia, 
shall be considered as part of this Constitution. 

Section 10 provides for the arbitration of differences. 

Section ir declares that civil officers of the Commonwealth, at large, shall 
reside within the State; district, county, or town officers within their dis- 
tricts, and that they shall keep their offices in such places therein, as may 
be required by law. 

Section 12 declares that absence on business of State or U. S. does not 
forfeit one's rights. 

Section 13. The General Assembly shall regulate, by law, what deductions 
shall be made from the salaries of public officers for neglect of duty. 

Section 14 asserts that returns of elections by the people shall be made to 
the Secretary of State. 

Section 15 declares that all elections by the people, and by the Senate and 
House shall be hy viva voce vote ; all dumb persons entitled to suffrage may 
vote by ballot. 

Section 16. All elections by the people to be held between six o'clock in 
the morning and seven in the evening. 

Section 17 declares that time for entering upon office shall be fixed by law. 

Section 18 declares that members of Congress etc. are not eligible to Gen- 
eral Assembly — nor to any State office. 

Section 19 provides that the General Assembly shall direct, by law, how 
those who become securities for public offices may be relieved of such 
security. 

Section 20 declares that dueling disqualifies one from holding office or 
honor in the State, and any person engaging therein shall be punished. 

Section 21 gives power to the Governor to pardon after five years from 
time of offense any person connected with a duel, and to restore him to all 
his rights, and the oath prescribed in the first section of this article shall be 
varied to suit the case. 

Section 22 provides for the appointment of three lawyers, at the first 
session, after the adoption of this constitution, to revise the statute laws of 
this Commonwealth so that there will be but one law on any one subject ; 
for the appointment of three other lawyers to prepare a code of practice for 
the courts, civil and criminal. 

Section 23 provides for the election of a President of the Board of Internal 
Improvement. 

Section 24 declares that the General Assembly shall provide by law for 
the trial of any contested election of Auditor, Register, Treasurer, Attorney- 
General, Judge of Circuit Courts, etc., not otherwise herein specified. 

Section 25 declares that the General Assembly shall provide, by law, for 
the making of the returns of the election of all officers to be elected under 
this Constitution ; and the Governor shall issue commissions to such officers 
as soon as he has ascertained the result of their election. 



330 THE CONSTITUTION. 



Section 26 provides for the filling of vacancies of all officers under the 
Constitution. 
Article Nine concerns the seat of government : 

The seat of government shall continue in the city of Frankfort until re- 
moved by law. 

Article Ten concerns Slaves : 

Section i declares that the General Assembly shall not pass any laws 
for emancipation, without payment to owners of slaves. Tt shall not pro- 
hibit the importation of slaves from other States by immigrants — nor allow 
emancipation to the prejudice of creditors — nor import slaves as mer- 
chandise; slaves must be treated with humanity, must be protected and 
provided for. 

Section 2 asserts that laws may be passed for punishing free negroes im- 
migrating to State, or remaining after emancipation. 

Section 3 provides for prosecuting slaves for felony, but they shall not be 
deprived of right of trial by Petit Jury. 
Article Eleven concerns Education. 

Section i provides for a fund to be applied solely for purposes of 
education. 

Section 2 declares that a Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be 
elected by the people at the same time with the Governor. 

Article Twelve concerns the Mode of Revising the Constitution. 
Section i declares that a convention shall be called for that purpose. 
Section 2 gives the Convention power to judge of the election of its mem- 
bers, and to decide contested elections, but the General Assembly shall, in 
calling a Convention, provide for the taking of testimony in such cases, and 
for issuing a writ of election in case of a tie. 

Article Thirteen concerns the Bill of Rights. 

Preamble — That the general, great, and essential principles of liberty 
and free government may be recognized, and established, We Declare : 

Section i. That all free persons are equal and no exclusive privileges are 
allowed. 

Section 2. That absolute, arbitrary power exists nowhere in a Republic. 
Section 3. That the right of property is higher than Constitutional sanc- 
tion ; that the right of owner in a slave, and its increase is the same as 
of any property. 

Section 4. That all power is inherent in the people, and that they have 
the right to alter and reform the form of government. 

Section 5. That all persons should enjoy religious freedom, and that no 
preference should be given by law .to any religious societies. 

Section 6. That no civil rights or privileges are to be lost on account 
of one's religion. 

Section 7. That elections shall be free and equal. 

Section 8. That the right of trial by jury shall be held sacred and in- 
•violate. 

Section 9. That the freedom oi press and speech shall be maintained. 



THE CONSTITUTION. ZZ"" 



Section 10. That the jury shall determine the law and facts in prosecu- 
tions for libel. 

Section ii. That seizures and searches shall not be made unlawfully. 

Section 12. That all prosecuted persons shall have the right to be heard 
by himself and counsel ; to meet the witnesses, face to face ; to compel the 
attendance of witnesses in his favor; and a speedy public trial by an impar- 
tial jury; that he is not compelled to give evidence against himself ; nor 
can he be deprived of his life, liberty or property, unless by the judgment 
of his peers, or the law of the land. 

Section 13. That persons shall be tried by indictment, except in cases of 
navy or army offenses, in time of war or public danger. 

Section 14. That a second trial for same offense is not allowed. 

Section 15. That all courts shall be open to all. 

Section 16. That the General Assembly, only, can suspend laws. 

Section ij. That excessive bail shall not be required, excessive fines im- 
posed, nor cruel punishments inflicted. 

Section 18. That all prisoners shall have the right of bail, except in cases 
of capital offenses, and the privilege of Iiabeas corpus, except in cases of re- 
bellion or invasion. 

Section 19. That imprisonment for debt is limited to cases of fraud. 

Section 20. That no ex-post facto law, nor any law impairing contracts 
shall be made. 

Section 21. That no person shall be attainted of treason or felony by the 
General Assembly. 

Section 22. That no attainder shall work corruption of blood, nor, except 
during the life of the offender, forfeiture of estate to the Commonwealth. 

Section 23. That estates of suicides shall descend or vest as in case of 
natural death, and if killed by casualty, there shall be no forfeiture by reason 
thereof. 

Section 24. That the people have the right of assembling, and of peti- 
tioning. 

Section 25. That the people have the right to carry arms for defending 
themselves and the State, but the General Assembly may pass laws to pre- 
vent them from carrying concealed arms. 

Section 26. That no standing army shall be maintained in time of peace, 
and the military shall be-in subordination to the civil power. 

Section 27. That no soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in any 
house without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war except as pre- 
scribed by law. 

Section 28. That there shall be no titles of nobility and hereditary dis- 
tinctions shall not be allowed. 

Section 29. That emigration from the State shall not be prohibited. 

Section 30. That, to guard against transgressions of the high powers 
which we have delegated, everything in this article is excepted out of the 
general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate; and that 
all laws contrary thereto, or contrary to this Constitution, shall be void. 



32,^ THE CONSTlTUTIO^r. 



SCHEDULE. 

Section i announces that all laws and contracts in force at the time of the 
adoption of this Constitution, and not inconsistent therewith shall continue. 

Section 2 declares that oaths may be administered by any Judge or Justice 
of Peace, until the General Assembly shall otherwise direct. 

Sc'ction 3 asserts that no office is to be superseded by the Constitution ; 
that the duties of office shall be performed for the term to which elected. 

Section 4 declares that the General Assembly shall make an apportion- 
ment of the representation of the State in 1850 ; present division to remain 
till then. 

Section 5 declares that all recognizances heretofore taken or that shall be 
taken before the organization of the Judicial Department shall remain as 
valid as though this Constitution had not been adopted, and may be prose- 
cuted in the name of the Commonwealth ; all prosecutions and penal actions 
to be treated in the same manner. 



A SELECTION OF BOOKS 

TOUCHING UPON THE STORY OF KENTUCKY. 

The student will find abundant literature bearing upon the 
history of Kentucky. There are full and exhaustive reports on 
the physical structure of the country, and numerous well written 
histories of the people and of the State. 

The institution of slavery ; the troubles with the Indians ; 
the border life, and the late war furnish rich material for ex- 
citing and descriptive story writing. 

The resources of the State of Kentucky and its general 
structure, its climate and natural beauties are very fully pre- 
sented by the many reports of the different departments of the 
State. 



There are many histories of the State of Kentucky. A small book by 
Prof. N. S. Shaler, gives a pleasing account of the State from its earliest 
settlement. An extensive and careful history is that of Lewis Collins, re- 
vised and enlarged, and brought down to 1874, by his son, Richard H. Col- 
lins. The "Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucke," by 
John Filson, printed in Wilmington, Del., in 1784, may be studied with 
profit. This book is principally interesting for its map, and the personal 
reminiscences of Daniel Eoone. Also a valuable work is " Political Tran- 
sactions in and Concerning Kentucky," by William Littell, printed in 1816. 
The " History of Kentucky, including an Account of the Discovery, Settle- 
ment, Progressive Improvement, Political and Military Events and Present 
State of the Country," by Humphrey Marshall, is an exhaustive work, the 
first volume appearing in 1812, the second in 1824. Another interesting his- 
tory is Mann Butler's " History of Kentucky, from its Exploration and Set- 
tlement by the Whites, to the close of the Southwestern Campaign in 1S13." 

The reader may, with advantage, consult " History of the First Brigade " 
( Confederate ), by Ed. Porter Thompson ; " History of Morgan's Cavalry," 
by Basil W. Duke. William B. Allen contributes a " History of Kentucky, 
embracing Gleanings, Reminiscences, Antiquities, Natural Curiosities, Sta- 
tistics and Biographical Sketches of Pioneers. Soldiers, Jurists, Lawyers, 
Statesmen, etc." An important work is "The Kentucky Resolutions of 
1798," by Ethelbert Dudley Warfield, A. M., LL. D. These resolutions 

333 



334 BOOKS RELATING TO KENTUCKY. 



were intended as a protest against the unconstitutional action of the Fed- 
eral Congress in enacting the alien and sedition laws. " An Excursion to 
the Mammoth Cave," by Robert Davidson, is a carefully written and inter- 
esting description of the famous cave. 

Among the stories of adventure are " Pioneer Life in Kentucky," by 
Daniel Drake ; " Indian Wars of the West," by Timothy Flint ; " Sketches 
of Western Adventure," by John A. McClu/g ; "A Collection of Some of 
the Most Interesting Narratives," by Samuel L. Metcalf ; "Pioneer Life in 
the West," by Wm. Person; and "Chronicles of Border Warfare," by 
Alexander S. Withers. 

Stories of the war are well told in " Narrative of the Sufferings and De- 
feat of the Northwest Army, under General Winchester," by William Ather- 
ton ; " A Journal Containing an Accurate and Interesting Account of the 
Hardship, etc., of the Kentucky Volunteers," by Elias Darnell ; " History of 
the Late War," by Robert McAfee ; " A Complete History of the Late 
American War," by M. Smith. 

Some idea of the religious life and customs of the people of Kentucky 
may be derived from " An Outline of the History of the Church in Ken- 
tucky," by Robert H. Bishop; "Historical Sketches of Christ's Church," 
by Rev. James Craik ; " History of the Presbyterian Church in Kentucky," 
by Robert Davidson ; " The History of Methodism in Kentucky," by A. H. 
Redford ; "Sketches of the Early Catholic Missions of Kentucky," by M. J. 
Spalding ; and " A History of the Baptist Churches," by John Taylor. 

Josiah Espy has written a vivid description of a tour in the States of Ohio, 
Kentucky and Indian Territory. Richard MacNamar contributes a brief 
account of Shakerism in Ohio and Kentucky. A. E. Wilson's " Story of 
Rebecca Boone " is an interesting book. 

In the line of Historical Fiction, we have " Etna Vandemir," by S. J. 
Hancock ; and " Wild Western Scenes," by S. B. Jones. 

Oh the subject of Slavery in Kentucky, " Ellen," a tale by M. B. Harlan, 
"Tempest and Sunshine," by M. J. Holmes and " Uncle Tom's Cabin," by 
Harriet Beecher Stowe are well worth reading. 

A romance, illustrative of the first settlers of Kentucky, is prettily told in 
" Charlemont," and its sequel, " Beauchampe," by W. G. Simms. Edmund 
Kirk's books should be included among this list ; and, in the three following, 
one obtains a graphic account of the adventures and sufferings of the early 
settlers in Kentucky: "John Sevier as Commonwealth Builder"; "The 
Rear Guard of the Revolution " ; and " The Advance Guard of Western 
Civilization" — all by Edmund Kirk£, (' ■ 

A description of the fertility and beauty of the " blue-grass region " in 
Kentucky, by John Burroughs, will be found in the Century Magazine for 
July, 1890. 



INDEX. 



[For obvious reasons, in this index only the historical names, places and events are treated. 
The characters that are prominent in the " storj' " part are thus allowed to retain their own 
romantic individuality.] 



Amendment, Thirteenth, The, rejected, 245. 

Anderson, Gen., commands in Kentucky, 
203, 204. 

Barber, Philip Norbourne, grave of, 181. 

Bardstown, noted school at, 108; famous 
paintings at, 109. 

Blue-Grass Country, The, 265. 

Blue Licks, Indian attack on, 74 ; battle 
of, 78. 

Boone, Daniel, messenger to Fort Pitt, 32; 
his family, 46 ; his daughter captured by 
Indians, 52 ; rescues his daughter, 56 ; cap- 
tured at Blue Licks, 74 ; at battle of Blue 
Licks, 79 ; leaves Kentucky, 115; treatment 
of by Kentucky, 116. 

Boonesboro', 32, 37, 44 ; attack on, 74. 

Bowman's defeat at Chillicothe, 74. 

Bramlette, Governor, 234, 235, 238. 

Breckenridge, John C., 182, 191, 204. 

Brown, John, first delegate to Congress, 95 ; 
U. S. Senator, 97. 

Burr, Aaron, in Kentucky, 140-143. 

Burr conspiracy, the, 119, 140. 

Byrd, Col., captures Ruddle's Station, 76. 

Cabell, Edmund, leaves home, 11; in the 
Kentucky Country, 16; his prayer, 28; 
meets Daniel Boone, 35; purchases land, 
58; captured by Indians, 60; escapes, 63 ; 
in the Revolution, 70; marriage, 86. 

Calloway, Betsey, captured by Indians, 52 ; 
rescued, 56 ; marriage of, 117. 

Clarke, George Rogers, in Kentucky, 57 ; at 
Harrodsburg, 58; brilliant western con- 
quests of, 74, 75 ; decline of, 85 ; neglect 
of, 127. 

Clay, Cassius M.. liberates his slaves, 190. 

Clay, Henry, elected to legislature, 131; de- 
fends Aaron Burr, 141 ; duel with Marshall, 
144; in War of 1812, 146; a peace commis- 



sioner, 154; feeling toward, 162 ; his rural 
life, 164; opposes annexation of Texas, 177; 
loses support of Kentucky, 178. 

Colored schools and education, 257, 258. 

Cornstalk, an Indian chief; his promise tb 
Lord Dunmore, 22. 

Crittenden, John J., 182; offers the "olive 
branch," 195. 

Danville, prominence of, 88; conventions at, 
89, 95, 97 ; a political center, 97. 

Davies, Col. J. H., his charges against Burr, 
141 ; death of, 145. 

Davis, Jefferson, born in Kentucky, 144; op- 
poses General Taylor, 182 ; elected presi- 
dent of Southern Confederacy, 191. 

Dickens, Charles, in Louisville, 166. 

Dunmore, Lord, his treaty with the Indians, 
14 ; anxious for peace, 33. 

Durrelt, Col. R. T., Arrest of, 203. 

Duvall, Judge, Irving's " Ralph Ringwood," 
171. 

Education (see Religion). 

Ewing, Andrew, on Kentucky mountaineers, 
267. 

Filson, John, first Kentucky historian, 88; 
death of, 89. 

Floyd, Colonel, 58. 

Fort Nelson built, 78. 

Frankfort, selected as the capital, 98; society 
in, 139; reception to Lafayette, 158; " Bor- 
der-State Convention " at, 195. 

Freedmen's Bureau, The, 254, 255, 256, 257. 

French refugees in Kentucky, 107. 

Gilmore, Mr. (" Edmund Kirke ") on Ken- 
tucky, 266. 

Goforth, Dr., discovers antediluvian relics, 
45- 

Guerrillas in Kentucky, 233. 

Harrodstown, 32, 44; prominence of, 88. 



335 



33(^ 



INDEX. 



Hart, Joel T., the poet sculptor, 1S2. 

Henderson, Judge, purchases Kentucky, 15; 
his prominence, 34, 3S, 58 ; colonists grum- 
ble against, 39; his purcliase ignored, 47; 
leaves Kentuclcy, 116. 

Horses in Kentucky, 276. 

Immigration, Bureau of, 271. 

Indians, relinquish Kentucky, 14, 34; invade 
Kentucky, 78; hostilities begun, 78-79; 
ended and renewed, 91 ; treatment of, 92; 
new hostilities, 98 ; treaty of peace with, 
1 15; in wars of 181 1 and 1812, 145-147. 

Johnson, Col. Richard M., grave of, 181. 

Kenton, Simon, in the Dunmore war, 14; in 
Kentucky, 58; made captain in Indian 
wars, 99. 

Kentucky, purchased of the Cherokees, 15; 
antediluvian relics in, 45; ignored by Con- 
gress, 47, 8g; contests over, 57; lands in, 
paid to Virginia soldiers, 73 ; in the Revo- 
lution, 74, 79; divided into three counties, 
77; first historian of , 88 ; Indian struggles, 
91 ; petitions Congress for statehood, 93 ; 
second convention of, 95 ; " court " and 
" country" parties in, 96; admitted to the 
Union, 97; first governor, 98; State gov- 
ernment formed, 98 ; Frankfort made capi- 
tal of, 98 ; intellectual status of, 100 ; French 
refugees in, 107, 108; State government of, 
113; Constitution of, 113; treatment of 
Daniel Boone by, 116; condition of in 
1800, 118; intrigues in, 119; religious con- 
dition of, 132 ; Burr's intrigues in, 140-143 ; 
first steamboat in, 144; in the Indian wars, 
145; in War of 1812, 146-153; financial 
remedies in, 155; legal talent of, 156, 167, 
171; receptions to Lafaj'ette, 158; rural 
life in, 164; political matters in (1832), 172; 
anti-slavery society in, 172 ; in Mexican 
War, 178-181 ; intellectual life of, 182-183; 
literature in, 186; in the Civil War, 188- 
252; military government in, 225; lawless- 
ness in, 232; martial law in, 241; martial 
law withdrawn, 255; Freedmen's Bureau 
in, 254, 257 ; change in rural life, 259; natu- 
ral advantages and beauties of, 261-266; 
phases of life in, 266-267 ; mineral resources 
of, 269 ; mounds in, 271 ; mining and manu- 
facturing resources of, 271 ; taxable prop- 
erty in, 272 ; railroads in, 272 ; resources 
and development of, 273 ; religion and edu- 
cation in, 274; the press and literature in, 
278; present condition and future possi- 
bilities of, 294-295. 

Kentucky Gazette, the pioneer newspaper, 94. 



" Know-Nothing" riots. The, igo. 

" Ku-klux Klan," The, 25S. 

Lafayette in Kentucky, 158. 

Laughrey, Col., defeat of, 78. 

Legislative Assembly, First, 37. 

Lexington, established, 77; growth of, 86; 
prominence of, 88 ; General Assembly meets 
at, 98; social prominence of, 131. 

Lincoln, Abraham, born in Kentucky, 144; 
election of, to the presidency, 191 ; his 
emancipation proclamation, 219; his posi- 
tion toward the "border States," 220; his 
letter to Col. Hodges, 236. 

Louis Philippe of France at Bardstown, 108. 

Louisville, established, 77 ; slow growth of, 
88; socialconditionof in 1802, 118; "know- 
nothing" riot in, 190; anti-war meetings 
at, 195 ; churches and charities of, 273 ; 
canal at, 276. 

Louisville Journal established, 1S2. 

Magofifin, Governor, his position toward the 
Civil War, 201 ; resigns, 219. 

Mammoth Cave, 287-289. 

Marshall, Humphrey, his duel with Henry 
Clay, 144. 

Marshall, Colonel Thomas, his charges against 
Wilkinson, 96. 

Marshall, "Tom," 182. 

Martial Law, 241 ; withdrawn, 255. 

Michaux, French naturalist, on Kentucky, 
118. 

Military operations in Kentucky in Civil War, 
201, 202, 206, 208,210, 212, 214, 216, 223, 237. 

Morehead, ex-Gov., arrest of, 203. 

Morgan, John, his raids in Kentucky, 212, 
223, 225; his surrender, imprisonment and 
escape, 226; his later raids, 240. 

Mound Builders in Kentucky, 271. 

Muter, Judge, his stand against Wilkinson, 
95. 96- 

O'Hara, Theodore, his tribute to Kentucky 
soldiers in Mexican War, 181 ; grave of, 181. 

" Old Monmouth," the hunter, 15. 

Paducah, General Grant at, 202. 

Peck, Rev. J. M , on religion in Kentucky, 
132- 

Perryville, Battle of, 217. 

Petroleum Wells, 271. 

Political Club, The, 98. 

Prentice, George D., 183. 

Railroads in Kentucky, 272. 

Religion and education in Kentucky, 274, 283. 

Robinson, Gov. James F., attempts readjust- 
ment of slavery question, 219. 

Rogers, Cofonel David, defeat of, 74. 



WDEX. 



337 



St. Joseph's College established, loS. 

Sebastian, Judge, prominent in Spanish 
intrigue, 1 19. 

Shaler, Prof., on military government in 
Kentucky, 225; on mineral resources of 
Kentucky, 270. 

Shelby, Isaac, first governor, gS. 

Sherman, Gen., commands in Kentucky, 205. 

Slavery, agitation against, 172; emancipation, 
173; position tovi'ard in i860, 188; Lin- 
coln's emancipation proclamation, 219; 
contrabands, 219; exodus of negroes, 220 ; 
enrollment of negroes, 236; Thirteenth 
Amendment rejected, 245. 

Steamboat, the first in Kentucky, 144. 

Taylor, Gen. Zachary, commands in Mexican 
War, 17S; elected president, 1S2. 



Thomas, Gen., and his Kentuckians in War 
of i8[2, 147, 149. 

Transylvania, Colony of (see Kentucky). 

Transylvania Company, The, purchase Ken- 
tucky land, 34. 

" Underground Railroad," The, 174. 

Virginia land office system. The, 85. 

Warner, Charles Dudley, on Kentucky, 261, 
265, 268. 

Wayne, Gen. Anthony, leads Kentuckians 
against Indians, 114. 

Weller, Ensign David, letter of, 150. 

Whiskey distilling, 282. 

Wilkinson, General, his career, 93, 95, 97 ; in 
Spanish intrigue, 119; public feeling to- 
ward, 127; denounces Aaron Burr, 142. 

Wilkinson-Redding case, The, 166-171. 



THE STORY OF THE STATES. 

EDITED BY ELBRIDGE S. BROOKS. 

The Story of Kentucky is the sixth issue in the 
proposed series of graphic narrations descriptive 
of the rise and development of the American 
Union. No one of the American Commonwealths 
has a more stirring or picturesque story than Ken- 
tucky, and Miss Connelly, though treating her 
theme strictly as a " story," has yet so deftly woven 
the romance and the reality as to give to her charac- 
ters a connected individuality and to her record of 
the growth of the State a practical if picturesque set- 
ting that instructs while it absorbs and is altogether 
reliable while being stirring and dramatic. 

In the production of so comprehensive a series 
as is this Story of the States, it is as wise as it is 
necessary to make haste slowly. The American 
Commonwealths are adding important paragraphs 
to their story every day, and each story needs to 
be fully as well as concisely told. 

Great care is being exercised in the selection of 
writers for the entire series and the expressions of 
popular and critical approval of the plan adopted 
are gratefully acknowledged by the publishers. 

This sixth volume will be speedily followed by 
the Story of Massachusetts by Edward Everett 
Hale. 

The Story of Colorado by Charles M. Skinner 
and the Story of New Mexico by Horatio O. Ladd 
will also be among the earl}^ issues. 



THE STORY OF THE STATES. 



Among the other volumes secured for tlie series, 
several of which are already well toward completion, 
are : 



Territory 



The Story of California 
Tlie Stury of Virginia 
The Story of Connecticut 
The Story of Missouri 
The Story of Texas 
The Story of Maryland 
The Story of Delaware 
The Story of the Indian 
The Story of Michigan 
The Story of the Distric 
The Story of Oregon 
The Story of Maine 
The Story of Pennsylvan 
The Story of Kansas 
The Story of Mississippi 
The Story of Florida 
The Story of Alabama 
The Story of Tennessee 
The Story of Artcansas 
The Story of New Jersey 

The stories will be i 



By Noah Brooks 
By Marion Harland 
By Sidney Luska 
By Jessie Benton Fremont 
By E. S. Nadal 
By John R. Coryell 
By Olive Thorne Miller 
By George E. Foster 
By Charles Moore 
bia . By Edmund Alton 

By Margaret E. Sangster 
By Almon Gunnison 
By Olive Risley Seward 
By Willis J. Abbott 
By Laura F. Hinsdale 
By S. G. W. Benjamin 
By Annie Sawyer Downs 
By Laura C. Holloway 
By Octave Thanet 
By Wm. PIlliot Griffis 

issued at the uniform net 
subscription price of ^1.50 per volume. Announc- 
ments of additions to the series will be made in 
succeeding volumes. Inquiries respecting the 
series may be addressed to the publishers, 

D. LOTHROP COMPANY, BOSTON. 



(Already Published.) 

The Story of New York, by Elbridge S. Brooks. 

The Story of Ohio, by Alexander Black. 

The Story of Louisiana, by Maurice Thompson, 

The Story of Vermont, by John L. Heaton. 

The Story of Wisconsin, by Reuben G. Thwaites. 

Svo, each volume fully illustrated, price $1.50. 

The initial volumes of this new and notable contribution to 
American history have been so favorably received that little 



THE STORY OF THE STATES. 

doubt can remain as to the need of the series they inaugurate 
and the permanent popularity of the style adopted for their 
telling. 

"Of the series instructively," says the Boston Globe, "one 
can hardly say too much in praise. In a new field it contrib- 
utes essentially and influentially to the right estimation of 
national character and of the mission of the future." 

I — NEW YORK. Every American should read this book. 
It is not dull history. It is story based on historic facts. 
"With all the fascinations of a story," says the Journal of 
Education, "it still remains loyal to historic facts and the 
patriotic spirit." 

"A valuable contribution to picturesque history. " — 5(7ji!o» Advertiser. 

" Vivid, picturesque and entertaining." — Minneapolis Tribune. 

" To one familiar with the history of New York State this book will be exceedingly refresh- 
ing and interesting. Mr. Brooks is an entertaining writer and his Story of New York will be 
read with avidity. He is no novice in historic \yriting. This book will add to his reputation 
and will find its way into thousands of private libraries." — Uiica Press. 

II — OHIO. This volume has been received with the most 
enthusiastic approval. No existing work occupies precisely the 
same field. It is at once picture, text-book and story. Mr. 
Black's skill in condensing into so brief a compass so much 
valuable matter, his deft handling of all the varying phases of 
Ohio's story and his picturesque presentation of what in other 
hands might be but the dry details of history have secured 
alike popular recognition and popular approval. 

" To incorporate within some three hundred pages, even an intelligible sketch of the history 
of Ohio is something of a literary feat, and to make such a sketch interesting is still more 
difficult. Mr. Black, however, has succeeded in doing this. . . . His book is welcome 
and valuable and is well adapted for popular use and re'ference." — TVctw y'ori Tribtine. 

"One of the warm, lively, picturesque narratives, lighted up with bits of personal, human 
interest and clear glimpses of a people's every-day life which will closely interest the general 
reader." — Chicago Times. 

Ill — LOUISIANA. Mr. Thompson's brilliant and enter- 
taining outline of the history of one of the most picturesque 
and romantic States in all the sisterhood of American Common- 
wealths is full of grace and vigor, yoked to characteristic 
description and a pleasing presentation of facts. It is, says 
the Critic, " A wonderfully picturesque account of a land 



THE STOR Y OF THE STA TES. 

abounding in interest of every sort : landscapes, hereditary 
singularities, mixed nationality, legends and thrilling episodes." 

" The manner in which this story is told by Mr. Thompson leaves little to be desired. . . . 
He has made an absorbing and stirring, but at the same time most thoroughly practical and 
instructive book." — Boston Traveller. 

" There is no lack of fascinating and romantic material in the history of Louisiana without 
going beyond the barest facts, as indeed Mr. Thompson shows." — 'J'/ie Nation. 

"An absorbing romance and at the same time a practical and instructive history." — Jour- 
nal of Education. 

" Mr. Thompson's prose is full of the fire and spirit of poetry, and the story could scarcely 
be told better or more interestingly. The writing is free from all prejudices and can be read 
with a like interest by the people of Illinois and those of Louisiana." — Chicago Inter-Ocean. 

" The story is picturesque beyond all possibility of greater and more vivid heightening. . . 
The book is one of great popular interest and it is rarely that a work of historical accuracy is 
presented in a garb so graceful and alluring." — Newark Daily Advertiser. 

IV — VERMONT. Mr. Heaton has not only made a clear, 
entertaining and practical story of the Green Mountain State, 
but has produced a book that stands, at present, without a com- 
petitor, no history of Vermont having been published for over 
forty years. Every Vermont family and every family able to 
trace its origin to the Mountain Commonwealth should find 
pride and pleasure in this story, 

' A substantial contribution to our historical literature. Mr. Heaton has told his storv with 
spirit and vigor and technical historical accuracy. The book has the charm of a well-vi-ritten 
romance and the value of a solid work of histoiy." — Chicago Tribime. 

" A volume that should attract the attention of all lovers of every phase of our nation's 
story and every admirer of sturdy, persistent, devoted and patriotic endeavor." — Cincinnati 
Enquirer. 

" Not a page is dull, tedious or other than lucid and lively, so charming is the style and so 
fluid is the narrative, condensed without being superficial." — Christian Register. 

"Mr. Heaton's style is manly, unaffected, simple and direct, full of practical purpose 
lighted with the skill of a humorist." — Louisville Courier-Journal. 

" It is as readable as a novel — much more so than the average analytical novel of the period 
— and should be widely read." — St.Johnsbury Republican. 

V — WISCONSIN. A graphic and practical outline of the 
beginning and the advance to prosperity of the State of Wiscon- 
sin — the child of the fur-trader and the coureur dc bois. Mr. 
Thwaites' position as Secretary of the Wisconsin Historical 
Society has afforded him unequalled facilities for a correct and 
interesting narrative, while his intimate acquaintance with every 
section of his State gives an especial value and authority to his 
story of this noble Western Commonwealth. 



I APR 1959 



